The Portland daily press., 1890-02-13
LIE NOT AT ALL
when you are Advertising Your
Wares.
Cpry Goods Economist


GDry Goods Economist.l
OF two advertisers the one who tells
the whole truth concerning an article
will in time be more successful than he
who tells only portion of the truth.
This does not mean that advertisers or
statesmen shall talk simply for the pleas
ure of showing how much they know
concerning the goods. Experience has
fully demonstrated the truth of the slang
phrase, "Talk's cheap" and it is well
known that the salesman who talks in
cessantly is not the man who sells the
largest quantity Of goods, nor is the long
est advertisement the one that is most
frequently read. But if it becomes nee
essary to go into detail about an article
do not equivocate concerning it.
Some advertisers will deliberately go
out of their way to liza hard, but new
ertheless true statement. "This cloak
So; worth $l2." "This beautiful cash
mere 90 cents; worth $780,"
The man on the ''inside" knows that a
house would not, and indeed could not,
sell staple goods all the year at a loss,
and consequently there must be lie
somewhere. The public may be takeI.
in for time, but there will surely be a
reaction. A merchant once said: "Of
course, if we were doing business in a
small town we could not play the public
with these constant bats, but we calcu-
late that by the time one class of people
has become dissatisfied, another class of
the ever shifting population will step in
and take their places" This is a bad
principle upon which TO do permanent
business, and judging from the change in
the style of this same merchants adver-
tisements, he also has become convinced
that it is bad.
There is another style of advertising
which is practiced in some of our best
establishments. No lie is told, but the
truth is expressed in manner intended
TO mislead "A species of acted lie. During
the past season there was time when
fur capes could not be delivered fast
enough. Everybody wanted them, and
the merchant who was fortunate enough
to have stock of these goods could turn
them over at fair profit. Astrakhan
was one of the popular furs. The capes
brought about $12 and the muffs about
$3.50 and 81 at retail. No wonder, then,
that many ladies were allured by sign
on a cape in an up town store which
read, Remarkably cheap, only s3.75."
The writer was in the store when lady
asked to be shown one of the 1915 capes.
"Oh! that sign don't mean the cape"
said the clerk, sit is the muff that is
S3.75."
"Then Why" asked the lady, "do you
put the sign on the cape and not on the
muff?"
"rm sure don't know. l suppose
that the firm take it for granted that no
body would expect to get fur cape at
that price, and that the 1878 must refer
to the muff"
''That may be as you say, but it is
nevertheless an attempt to deceive"
This was the customers verdict, and
she was entirely correct. When the
customer had gone inquiry was made
and the fact elected that for some reason
the trade had fallen off wonderfully for
the two days that the sign had been ex-
hibited. ltwas plain that the ladies, feel
ing indignanta at an attempted imposition,
turned away from that department with
out making any purchase