Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/181

 THE UNION LABEL 1 67

union support are not realized they view the label with con- siderable disfavor, and look upon it as a mere outside interference with their business. A persistent demand for union-label gar- ments would soon change the attitude of the merchants from one of hostility to one of friendship.

III. SHOE STORES.

Twenty-one shoe stores were visited. Four of these repre- sented large eastern manufacturers, two being strictly non-union, and two being strictly union. All were apparently in a thriving condition, and were thoroughly first-class establishments.

Seventeen stores, however, carried both kinds of shoes, union and non-union. Their demand was found to be, in general, as expressed in this table :

Strong demand for union-stamp shoes 2 stores

Small demand - 12 "

No demand - - - 3 "

In shoes the range of choice in union-made is very wide, run- ning from the cheapest working shoe to the high-priced shoe. The claim was not once heard that the union stamp made the shoe cost more. Customers as a rule, however, here as else- where, according to the investigation, are governed by considera- tions of price and quality, and not by the label. One German merchant who had handled a large union stock gave briefly as his conclusion of the whole matter: "Sie laufen hin und her und kaufen wo sie am billigsten kriegen."

The only complaint heard from shoe merchants was that they were forced, in some instances, to carry a double stock, union and non-union, to meet the occasional demand of a person who would insist on having a union-stamp shoe, and who would walk out of the store if he couldn't get it. At this stage of develop- ments the merchant is unwilling to displace his non-union stock with a union stock. This means in a few cases a practical reduplication of stock so that all demands may be met.

IV. HAT STORES.

But one hat store was visited. Both union and non-union hats were sold, and the label was considered a good thing by the