Marcus Polo Returns

At the Boston Distribution Conference last week (see p. 86), the most laughs were provided by young Edward S. Marcus, Secretary-Treasurer of Dallas' swank specialty shop, Neiman-Marcus. Mr. Marcus, in pursuit of new fashion ideas, took a three months' trip to South America. He came back well sold on the future of hemisphere trade, but with a new understanding of what it takes to do business with Latin America. Some items:

> In Buenos Aires, a beautiful tea set caught his eye. It cost about $60 but he thought if he ordered 40 the unit cost might be less. Said the silversmith: "Ha! I know what you are talking about, but I can't get any more. But, if I do get any more they will be higher." His reason: to make one was a pleasure, to make more would be "really work."

> In Peru, a lard seller in a village market refused to sell her whole pail of lard at once: if she did, she would have no excuse to stay at the market and gossip.

> In Brazil, on the other hand, even small manufacturers refuse orders for less than $500. Reason: it takes 21 Government papers to ship anything abroad, so small orders are not worth the trouble. Furthermore, in Brazil you can make 10-12% on "an extremely safe mortgage." One businessman found his business was yielding him only 23%, so he quit, went into another that would yield him a "legitimate profit."

> In Chile, Mr. Marcus admired and bought a hand-worked copper cigaret case. He couldn't buy any more because its maker, a silversmith, really felt it beneath him to work in copper. There Mr. Marcus planted a seed for the future: to glamorize copper work, he offered a prize to the schoolboy who. could make the best handmade copper gadget.

To check his own theories, Mr. Marcus sent a questionnaire to U.S. importers of Latin American goods, asking how the U.S. Government could best help their business. Typical answer: "Less hot air and charity and more business. That can only be accomplished by lower duties." In this Edward Marcus heartily concurred. From his trip he had already found Latin American specialties that could replace many Paris imports: crocodile billfolds from the Argentine, fine gloves from Chile, laces from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, etc. All too often the U.S. duty makes them prohibitive.

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