The Grocers' Blacklist
Walla Walla retail grocers seek a regional credit-rating system to share customer data and penalize unpaid debts.
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A movement is underway among grocers' associations to expand their reach across state and international lines. The Walla Walla association has contacted State Secretary Cory in Spokane to propose an arrangement that would incorporate retailers from Milton, Weston, Athena, Adams, and Pendleton, Oregon, into the Washington state organization. The primary goal is the creation of a 'credit rating system.' The Spokane association has already adopted an agreement where members report delinquent accounts to a central office, agree to check a customer's rating before granting new credit, and enforce a $10 penalty on members who fail to comply with these credit-control rules.
“We will report to the central office the names of each and every person leaving us with an account for which payment has not been provided.”
This move towards a regional surveillance network for consumer credit anticipates the modern data-driven credit reporting industry, showcasing how early 20th-century retailers institutionalized the practice of blacklisting to protect their margins.
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