The End of the Ledger: Coulee City Merchants Go 'Cash Only'
Local business owners announce a shift away from credit-based commerce to lower prices and eliminate accounting headaches.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On and after July 1st, 1916, the undersigned retail dealers of Coulee City will discontinue the sale of goods on credit and will sell for cash only, thereby making a great saving to the farmers and other patrons. We believe that by selling for cash we can reduce the price enough to pay anyone to borrow the money from his banker and eliminate the trouble and worry of keeping accounts. There will be no discount from the selling list. Prices will be reduced and we will have one price to all. F. W. McCann, C. A. Stapleton, Parry Welch, E. L. Pulliam, E. L. Davis Co.
“We believe that by selling for cash we can reduce the price enough to pay anyone to borrow the money from his banker and eliminate the trouble and worry of keeping accounts.”
This move signals the decline of the traditional 'tab' system that defined rural pioneer commerce. Today, the transition mirrors the modern shift toward cashless payment platforms that likewise aim to streamline retail efficiency at the cost of traditional, community-based credit relationships.
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