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ma14 wednesday february 8 1984 middlemen dont like the cost of cost by christine koserski staff reporter a directsales computerorder company which effectively cuts out the middleman has been introduced to markham and the middlemen dont like it some longestablished markham retail ers are up in arms because they feel cost is unfairly undercutting them computer order saving terminus inc cost sells appliances furniture and other products at dealer cost plus 10 per cent directly to the consumer they keep costs down by not having an inventory a warehouse or advertising they can sell products at up to 45 per cent off manufacturers list price according to john hawco a markham cost sales agent he mr hawco comes home from a steady job and takes away our business in his spare time said curt fleischer own er of toromark furniture in the sherwood plaza we dont mind competition we have competition but we want fair com petition a cost sales agent keeps a catalogue which lists products manufacturers list prices and costs prices customers can look at the catalogue in their own home or just call for a price residents are not allowed by law to sell any kind of business in their private homes said mr fleischer according to the ontario ministry of consumer and commercial relations cost sales agents are classified as itinerant salesmen and are doing no thing illegal theres nothing untoward with what theyre doing said linda oleary in formation officer at the ministry its a relatively new way of retailing and people are always suspicious of new things not unlike when consumers distributing came in there are zoning bylaws in the town of markham which prohibit retailing in a re sidential area but according to chief of bylaw enforce- 9 sr subject to change 1 year gic option v annual compounding other rates and terms available station plaza unit b 231 main st north 2943207 sterling sterling membercanadadepositnsurance corporation 1 member canadian payments association 0f town of pickering 1984 taxes the 1 984 instalment due dates and penalty and interest charges as established by bylaws 1 77884 1 78084 and 1 77984 are as follows town and region first instalment february 24 1 984 second instalment april 25 1984 education first instalment second instalment june 26 1984 september 25 1984 tax bills have now been mailed to cover the 1 984 taxes for the town and region ratepayers who do not receive their bills should make immediate ap plication to the tax department the penalty charge for nonpayment of 1 984 taxes is 1 04 per month starting march 1 1 984 the interest charge for all other tax arrears is also 1 04 per month the effect rate is 1 25 per annum failure to receive a tax bill does not release the ratepayer for payment of taxes nor the penalty and interest charges imposed because of default 6832760 1710 kingston road pickering office hours 830 am to 500 pm monday to friday ment ken spence a sales agent taking orders through a catalogue does not clas sify as running a business theyre not making deliveries they dont have a dis play or inventory he said both the ministry of consumer relations and the better business bureau bbb re port no complaints about cost the bbb of which cost is a member said the company has an a rating an a rating means there have been no com plaints which remain undisputed or unad justed said debra merowitz pubhc rela tions officer in the case of cost there have been no complaints whatsoever cost was incorporated as a company in february 1980 it is classified with bbb as a retailer of general merchandise gener ally priced 550 and up using direct selling as a means of marketing a montrealbased company called com- pucard sells nationwide using methods similar to costs it is also a member of bbb and has an a rating mr fleischer feels that he and other markham merchants contribute more to the community at large we are here to stay we continue to sup port the town of markham by paying our taxes he said we support the commun ity by sponsoring different organizations mr fleischer is also concerned about jobs that he claims may be taken from resi dents of markham he said three applicance and furniture stores in the sherwood plaza employ about 40 people and that agincourt appliance service alone employs 20 what if someone else started selling other things such as groceries shoes housewares he said if this goes on there would be no need for stores and shop ping centres markham would have a few thousand unemployed but a store offers the customer a diffe rent kind of service said alasdair mckichan president of the retail council of canada its a different class and ser vice the ability to see the merchandise and to exchange if necessary and to re ceive advice from salespeople and consul tants he said the retail council doesnt distinguish between different types of distribution they all compete with each other mr mckichan said we cant favor applaud or criticize as long as people are within the law mr fleischer pointed out that his store offers a fiveiyear guarantee on furniture and a sixmonth repayment plan with no interest charge he also has a service man available at no cost to the customer if any thing is not in perfect condition a customer pays for a purchase from cost in advance and then either picks the item up himself or pays for delivery which for a large item such as furniture may take as long as three weeks president of the canadian federation of independent business john bullock said industrial growth jt uncl the look both ways rrsp when you buy an rrsp the best way to the future is to look to the past 2245115 so it pays to look both ways because a longterm record of consistently high growth is your best gauge of prospects to come with industrial growth fund the numbers in our past speak for themselves one year 32 ten years averaging and were just as excited about the future to talk about an industrial growth fund rrsp in your future return the coupon below or contact q id like more information about an industrial growth fund rrsp crry prov code ie pitf ield mackay ross limited suite 1704 2 sheppard ave e willowdale ont m2n 5y7 all figures to november 30 19s3 representing compound average annual return with dividends reinvested any offer is made by the prospectus m free seminar the selfdirected rrsp how to maximize personal investment income time 730 pm thursday february 1 8th place markham public library se corner of hwys 7 48 sponsored by wood gundy markham please call 2949151 to confirm attendance wood gundy wood gundy 3 centre suite 205 markham ont up 3ps mr bud patton the federation could not make a comment without researching and investigating the matter through questionnaires and sur veys we sympathize with the problem but would have to look at things in depth and in national terms not just local he said adding that a company such as cost could conceivably be a member of the federa tion its not an illegal practice and at this point not an issue with us mr hawco the markham cost sales agent is not surprised by the controversy i can see the traditional retailer being upset he said but the traditional retail er has had to adjust over the years to cus tomers demands this is the next genera tion of retail shopping we perceive the shopper wants the con venience of shopping in their own home or through a computer he added and the bottom line is the costumer will shop at the location that will give the best price as long as the product is of the best quality about 25 people showed up at the mar kham community library recently to attend the first cost information seminar held in the area people are interested mr hawco said we recognize the retailers are there he said were not trying to drive them out of business were just offering an alternative the customer makes the choice we dont force them to shop with cost hispl r i rtvris february special notice stock special suits by cambridge save 30 the man shop markham shopping centre markham- i 84 wellington st w 2943520 ebssgkewi guaranty trusts managed rsp equity section grew 150 in 5 years gained 32 in 1983 other guaranty trust rsps cicrsp guaranteed interest rate for a fixed term daily interest rsp high savings rale mortgage fund rsp for investment growth selfadministered special rsp you decide your portfolio contents m 179 doc 3183 includes income in 183 dec 3183 includes income toronto area call 939 lawrence ave east don mills 366 bay street shopping centre 4476453 head office 8635012 875 eglinton ave west 7897802 121 bloor street east 8635285 2555 victoria park ave 491723tf 1719 avenue road 7814661 2376 yonge street 4850453 2425 bloor street west 7671191 3204 yonge street 4833541 4841 yonge street sheppard centre 2230030 255 morningside avenue morningside mall 2816701 mississauga 4141 dixie road rockwood mall richmond hill 10132 yonge street hamilton 82 king street east 5253630 6258400 oshawa 32 king street east 5798181 8841188 stouffville 81 main street west 6404000 i