Are Bonuses on Empty Spirit Cans Desirable ?
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We announced, by request, in our issue of last week, the decision of one of the leading importing groups to give a certain bonus in respect of the seals upon the two-gallon tins in which a proportion of its total outgo of motor spirit is packed. As was to be expected in these days of competition, the other principal importing group was forced to retaliate, and its reply took the form of a small increase in the bonus, in accordance with the terms of the announcement on page 236 of this issue. We are glad that the offers in question are announced to hold good only until the 28th of February next : we would rather not have seen the introduction of this form of rebate. It is open to abuse in many ways, and it is by no means inconceivable that its influences may be of the most pernicious character. We are confident, too, that it will cause a lot of annoyance and irritation to proprietors and managers of garages, and it may have other and more serious consequences. For example, we have in mind the analogy of a bonus which was at one time offered for empty drums in the printing-ink trade, the immediate result of which was that a certain number of drums %ere returned before they had been emptied. We have the greatest belief in the integrity of the average driver, but we think it is a grave mistake to place temptation in his path ; it is easy to pour away so volatile a liquid. In regard to possible benefit to the importers, we do not see how this can be achieved. The innovation practically amounts to a reduction in price, as has been appreciated by other distributors, and the justification for this view is found in the fact that a consider. able number of tins are sold in the garage itself, in which case the seals presumably might be collected by the owner. Further bonuses on either side can only lead to a worse position than that which has been produced already.
A certain amount of interest has, no doubt, been created by this advertisingpropaganda, but we fear that the advantage ends there. We do know that a number of customers have been offended by what they consider the introduction of an undesirable feature, whilst others are prospectively upset at the amount of trouble which is likely to be involved Ii. the collection of the seals and the apportionment of th bonuses. The propaganda and its effects are, of course, o less interest to the owner of a commercial motor than to th owner ofa private car, but they tend in the direction of es travagance and waste, for which reasons, if for no other, w strongly urge the abandonment, at the earliest possible me ment, of this doubtful instance of trade enterprise.