Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-10-01
TRICKS IN PRICE MARKS.
A shrcwd Customer May Sometimes Learn
the Cost OF the Goods offered.

A Shrcwd Customer May sometimes Learn
the Cost OF the Goods offered.
Recently a western merchant came
TO a large cloth house in New York To
buy goods. He was known as a very
shrewd and rather tricky merchant,
who had a foudness for learning the
prices nj the various houses and then
trying to beat them down. Knowing
this. the salesman who waited on him
put an extra price on every article
that he showed him. In 80 cGse was
the price made 50 large as 10 rouse his
suspicion. The buyer SEEMED very
disappointed, and his brow Mas knit
in n way TO slow that lac was very
much puzzled over something. When
be had gone away the clerk turned 10
the writer aud observed
Il think have blocked that fellows
game very nicely. Gou saw what he
was trying to 40, didl't yuuE'
The writer admitted his ignorance,
Well said the clerk, "'g was try
~ 10 discover our secret mark.
As be- spoke the clerk pointed 70 a
At.ie tlg attached To a piece Of cloth
IN his hand on which wore inscribed
three different letters.
That mark. hcsaid, "GloaHsS Z. 30,
4 ] had told him what u was be
would have very easily learned by
souIgyn- tag warrior, mars un dit
ioYrUl piece, uf goods 5Ia- Visa. our
mark u Fer instance, Il IL. J., NJ
meant ..5y, lg Wuuld know that j.,
was : l.. @, and ". D. Iy tIUU in
gUlFiHg th" pr0r, Of olf2uns other
pieces 81 cloth. h- could easily select
tlu4p which would have different sets
ol letters ON l,.pu, mt lac would soon
have gU..yu 10 ,ae Whole secret J
gli him the gr.an $50, 2.6j, and le.
ryrGsng 90 l0al he K. WAS - aud J.
WIS % auI lgu =. was D. ] also
change. til. Interpretation ul C&rh
mark, and ,A" result was that 4 hc ~,
rived NJ gIy CONCLUSION 10 VAS very
wrong uur.
'lIlg.e y nothing particular dis
h0lorag' Huugl tll4s, Tor merchants
Try ii very .1 up1L.y, aul us q rule
they succeed 10 learning iae mark.
Every business house has "A private
mark OF thus kind. gAcul8i.9ry bay.
II IN tie wLlIl house would never, OF
t0ulao. .olGn this, bul la Wholesale
house. where tlc hIyry~ l~ry1ugatl-
SCI, The same clalf.gia.- and -1u com.
pare ,a,tI, d IS W.lJlr o., great dill.
Guilty To- prevent their learning the
tnAs secret Whore firms abe ,-ne.
clailF uuE.0rs To- avoid discovery t4-f
change l.u Wara, .~r4gyuiir. Il mafH
ms Ne "a l.'u.. a combination ui ar
u-.-gr rJs or U... pg,pI-. Some
Hw4s ". lire Oi,-s a.VhgbaL Some
use the lHE blaine changed slightly.
4A, IINs, Intricate marks are made
with what Is known v, reporters.
That l., i,lcra will be- one or more
~Challgior,, C,lch Of which is used sim.
p!y Ia rgpual The character .Wmedl.
atgly preceding Il.
Il remember a case yC'F SIMILAR &C
this you AIIc.N lIUr.sc N..ralg fei.
low fIUm Tie wet CgI., an. ON
mark at that time lad two ~rupeatcrs.
He recognized the first one very soon,
but became completely mixed ur
when lac came 70 t,3e second lie az
tcrward acknowledged this, and !
made him sci up "a bottle II wine.
Sometimes these marks come IN very
handy, as in tlu present instance.
Whenever we get hold Of 4 customer
gAu Is known TO have the habit oi
ACItIEg down prices we simply put 9
ECAliDus value on IL" goods.
"Ihc mark always contains ten
characters 20 least. and as many more
rs there are ~rgpe.turs. An arbitrary
phrase such rs John Stands, could
be used us well rs anything else, and
Is as likely tu be discovered. }. H. =.
would m HAT case MEM lGj. Oh
course, il might mean Sl35, or il
might mean Sl.3j. Where il would
be desirable 10 represent the figure 1853
IL would be- more the rule 10 use the j.
II. and repeater than 10 write it j.
IA. IL
Among the merchants ia any ono
city the marks. unless frequently
changed, are soon known by the dit.
fercnt statesmen. Retail houses FIRE.
quently have their retail prices mark,
ed in plain figures, while the cost i:
represented In characters. Where
this is the ca,c tie statesmen Of one nc.
tail house soon learn the cost mark oil
another While this IS frequently no,
desirable, the main object with retail
houses is 10 keep Tie customer from
learning the cost la the largest ne.
tail houses where there is only one
price, .le cost mark is seldom put on
the goods, and IL is only where it lie,
within the discretion of the salesman
to reduce the price that d cost mark i:
used, New York sun