The Cult of the Mobile Shop
Page 26
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MANY visitors to the Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court, including not a few in the industry itself, were surprised at the number of mobile shops which was staged. With most, if not all of them, it was obvious that a considerable amount. of attention had been paid to their construction and equipment, so as to provide the maximum convenience to the sales people and good display of the wares to the public. It is also interesting to note that the co-operative societies are particularly enamoured of this type of vehicle and must have expended considerable thought on the requirements of their customers in this respect.
The mounting of bodies arranged as shops was not confined to petrol vehicles; we noted one or two excellent examples on battery-electric chassis, also trailer types.
A shop on wheels must be especially appreciated by busy housewives, who otherwise might have to queue for hours to obtain their meagre rations and other food and goods, whilst in the country areas, they may be saved the trouble of going to market. Many country dwellers have experienced great difficulty in shopping because formerly they relied upon the use of their cars, but with the small amount of fuel available to them, their marketing has become increasingly inconvenient.
Bakers and dairymen have for long supplied their customers at their own doors, but this has not applied so fully to grocers and purveyors of many other essential commodities. Now, the latter are beginning to employ a similar procedure. Those with the necessary business ability and enterprise will certainly benefit.
We must say that the display of food on some vehicles was most attractive. In fact, certain visitors expressed the desire to buy on the spot, and were disappointed at not being permitted to depart with purchases of fruit, vegetables, etc.
Here there seems to be a fairly wide field which should be open to a large number of bodybuilders who are not already congested with work for passenger vehicles.