ABSTRACT
The regular system of pricing which Wills had established was followed by its main competitors. All goods were offered at gross list or gross trade prices, subject to a discount for cash settlement within the first week of the month following that in which the order was placed. Manufacturers recommended retail prices so that a retailer's profit was equivalent to the margin between retail and gross list prices, plus discount. Discounts on smoking tobaccos varied between 2½ and 5 per cent according to weight ordered at any one time, with the maximum allowed on 56 lb or more. Discounts on cigarettes had been adjusted many times since the mid 1880s to match ever increasing sales, but by 1894 the scale had been settled at a range which varied between 2½ and 10 per cent, according to the number or value of cigarettes ordered at one time; this system placed Woodbine in a special position since best terms could be secured only on orders of 100,000 cigarettes or more.
