MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 11 Clothing HHow to Treat the Chronic Pricer. The wise merchant is always careful to impress the people of his town with the fact that for him and his clerks, whatever may be the case in other stores of the town, it is ‘‘no trouble to show goods.’’ He knows that the opportunity to display his wares to the man who is interested enough to ask to see them is one of the objects for which he adver- tises. Next to selling goods, the op- portunity to put an article before peo- ple so as to make them think and talk about it is the thing that he desires. If he can not sell a man, it is worth his while to know that the man will go out of his store and say to all his friends, ‘‘They certainly do keep fine goods at Blank’s.”’ Walking advertising mediums who advertise one’s business in all places and whose influence is all the more powerful because it is exercised uncon- sciously are a means of advertising that is peculiarly valuable to the dealer, If any man is annoyed by the amount of time that it is sometimes necessary to devote to people who do not buy, he should take this fact into consideration: These people are valuable aids in creating a reputation for him. They unconsciously influence public opinion in his favor. Very often the man who does intend to buy is led to patronize one place or another because he has heard its praises sung by some person who, he knows, is disinterested. A disinterested recommendation is the recommendation that always carries weight, and people who have not a cent to spend are often in a position to in- fluence people who are valuable patrons. A tradesman should look upon every person who enters his store as either a possible patron or a person who can be utilized for the building up of his own reputation. Some years ago a prominent politi- cian in a large city was asked to make out a list of people of his acquaintance in the ward who could be depended upon to assist the party in the coming election. When he had handed in his list the chairman of the party was _ sur- prised to find that he had put down one of the wealthiest men of the district as a person to be assigned to the work of bringing voters to the polls, while an- other man equally wealthy was simply assessed for a large sum of money. He called the politician’s attention to the fact and suggested that both men be assessed an equal sum. ‘‘No,’’ was the reply; ‘‘the first man will not spend a cent of money for the cause, but he will devote any amount of time and in- fluence to bringing people to the polls, while the second man will be glad to give any amount of money, provided that he is not asked to devote any time to the party. If we expect the same thing from both men, we shall fail to secure the assistance of one or the other, and our problem is to make every man count.’’ Exactly the same principle must be considered by the merchant. His prob- lem is to make every man count either as a patron or as a man who _ influences patrons. A shrewd man will make it his_busi- ness to find out who the people are who come into his store and go out without purchasing. He will learn what people they are in a vosition to influence and what kind of an influence they exert or can be made to exert in his favor. If he can use them to pull his chestnuts out of the fire he has a perfect right to do so. If a dry goods man can get the town gossip to spend half an hour in his store looking at his goods and can talk to her so as to impress her properly with the articles that he shows her, he should re- joice over his good fortune. When he has the lady judiciously primed with ad- vertising matter, he can let her depart with the knowledge that she will bring his goods to the attention of people who would never pay any attention to his written advertisement. If the haberdasher or clothier can show to some man, who has the ear of his fellows, goods that excite his ad- miration, and at the same time are ad- mirably suited to the needs of that man’s friends, he should appreciate the opportunity to employ a sandwich man without paying him a saiary. Of course, such a method of adver- tising must be judicious, for some peo- ple bitterly resent being made instru- ments without their knowledge. And, too, goods must be displayed with re- gard to the acquaintance of the person in question. But a sharp man who knows how to handle men will not dis- play goods without a knowledge of the advertising powers and _ limitations of the sightseer. While he will show such a person the thing that he requests to see he will also unobtrusively turn his attention to the thing that he wishes him to push. In other words, he will know his man and govern himself ac- cordingly. Some men may think that all this wire-pulling takes more time than it is worth. So it does unless a man knows how to play his cards. But if a mer- chant understands men and is enterpris- ing enough to seek a return from every- one he meets in a business way, he will try to utilize the person who comes in to price goods, so that he shall not abso- lutely waste his time over him. At the same time there are people who are unmitigated nuisances in a store. They buy nothing, or so little that their custom is worth nothing, they give a man a bad name whenever they can, and they either exert no influence at all or an unfavorable one, in the community. Such people should be given to understand that their custom is not wanted. In some cases it is wise to tell them so plainly; in other-cases it is well to adopt toward them such a pointed manner that the inference to be drawn is unmistakable and effective. One merchant dealt with two such people in the following manner. He said: ‘‘l had two patrons, if they can be called patrons, who were regular visitors. One wasa young fellow, the other was past middle life. The young man would come in frequently and each time went through my entire collar stock, looked at all my goods, took up valuable time, and, after criticising my assortment of collars pretty exhaustive- ly, purchased one collar. The other man came in regularly for three years, inspected my entire stock of spring un- derwear, took all the numbers and, after having got the counters well filled with mussed up goods, went out without buy- ing anything. One day when there was a rush the young fellow met me at the door and asked to be shown some col- lars. I said, ‘I don’t think that we have anything new to show you. We have bought no new styles since you were here last. Besides, you buy only one collar at a time and it is hardly worth our while to take down our entire stock of collars and show them to you to sell one. I think, my friend, that it would be just as well for you to go somewhere else to buy your collars. We are in the habit of selling collars by the dozen to our trade, but we can’t afford to keep a stock large enough to supply your needs. Really, you had better go somewhere else.’ The fellow got mad and attempted to bluster, but he got out. 1 talked the same way to the other man. He also came in one busy day and asked me _to show him some underwear. I said, ‘Really, I don’t think that it is worth your while to look over our stock. We have got in no new lines since you were here last and took all the numbers. | have watched you now for three years and I am inclined to think that you know our stock as well, and perhaps better, than I do. If you wish to buy some underwear this spring I shall be glad to sell you some. Perhaps after looking our stock over for three years without buying anything you may feei that vou ought to buy, but I really think that, as our clerks are all busy and you know all about our stock anyway, it might be as well for you not to bother us.’ He saw the point and went out without saying anything.’’ Such a course of action is sometimes necessary, but one needs to know his man before he talks to him in this fashion. After an experience of three years, however, a merchant should know how to show that he has a backbone, without injury to himself. Most men are altogether too ‘ready to antagonize people. When a man comes into a store and asks to see something, and, after looking at it and saying that he only wished to look at it, sees the fire die out of a salesman’s eyes, the agility pass out of his movements and the smil- ing expression of his features give way to a mingled expression of disgust and indifference, he does not need to be told that he is not welcome. The _pro- prietor of that store may advertise ‘‘no trouble to show goods’’ until the crack of doom, but that man’s opinion is fixed. He has nothing good to say of the store, but something bad. When he wishes to buy he will go elsewhere. In any case, he becomes one of the factors that go to make up an unfavorable or hostile influence in the community.— Apparel Gazette. —__» 0-2 A London paper estimates that ‘‘ John Bull has worn out half a million of money in his pocket since the Queen came to the throne.’’ The estimate is too low. The loss to the mint during the past eight years is said to have been at the rate of something like $1,000 a day, but it must be understood in contem- plating this fact that light coins have only been withdrawn trom circulation since 1892 so that the daily $1,000 rep- resents the waste of all the previous years. In the first year of the calling in of light gold, the total value of the deficiency was over a quarter of a mil- lion sterling, an average of about four- pence on a sovereign. | OPAPP PD LP APP» fA DN I SPECIALISTS FOR SPECIALISTS That’s our New Departure for spring, 1901. Throwing tremendous efforts into two particular lines of Men’s Clothing to meet the demands of particular stores —the stores that make a specialty of selling Men’s Suits to Retail at $10 and $15 You certainly have a strong argument when you state to your customers that because you handle but one or two lines you are able to give better values than if you carried everything, and the argu- ment holds good in point of fact. And the same argument holds good as far as we are concerned. Practically throwing every efiort into these two lines of $10 and #15 clothing we are able to give you “better values for less money” than the other fellows. That means better satis- faction to your trade, and at the same time, more money in your pocket. This isn’t “‘talky talk” but it’s straight, down- right truth, and we can prove it to the satisfaction of auybody. In the Spring Line are mixtures, stripes. and checks in all the new color- ings, in smooth and faney worsteds and cheviots in regular and military sack models. ‘These suits are stylish and dressy in appearance, are thoroughly well built in every way, look well, wear well and are completely satisfying every time. Besides, we think you will find the prices enough lower to make that part of the argument alone convincing. Looking costs nothing and we'll be glad to send you samples or have a rep- resentative call. You can do without our line for spring, but you can’t make any money by doing so. Blleavenrich Bros. PHOS BUSY TIMES The express companies, mails, etc , are so busy dur- ing the latter part of this week it would be well to order now anything you are liable to want for the Telephone us or wire us and your order will have immediate at- tention. ROBES, BLANKETS, HARNESS, ETC. Brown & Sehler, Grand Rapids, Mich. next week. | WANTED an a i hi hi hi hi hi hi a ha hh hi hh he be i PIPPIPPEPPPIPPPPIIPPPPDPOIPIPPPSD Merchants to handle our Fine Tailoring Sample Book, containing over 250 styles of the finest suitings, trouserings and spring overcoatings, ranging in price from $6.50 and up strictly to measure and guarantee a fit in every case. spring and summer, 1901, is now in preparation and will be ready for shipment January Ist. Write at once for sample book, terms, territory Warrington Woolen Worsted Mills, Dept. 13, CHICAGO. We cut and make every garment Our line for annrnann?