The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-14
THE SAMPLE FIEND.
he Is Not Tavorite with Whole.
sole Merchants.
Fellows WHO Send for Samples OF Evory
Thing Under tho Sun and Never nuy
- Dollars W,rth-rhs Habit NAa
neo1me u Woe.

and others who write letters asking for
samples Nothing Is too big or too
small for thu ficnds Chats what tho
merchants call thcm) to ask for. Any
thing OF value, from jowsharp to
piano, n shred OF calico to roll Of cloth,
q package OF oatmeal, n bag Of -four,
o papor-covorod half-dime novel, q gilt
odged Bible bound in morocco, all have
boon aad are asked for by tho sample
searchcrs. A Fourteenth street piano
house loss than week ago got letter
from doaler in Western city asking
him to ship sample piano. ~ would
like to sell the piano you manufacture, {"
the dealer said, 'because I have been
told that 1t Is tho best. II you will
ship mo one as G sample, Of course I
will pay tho freight, and carriage OK
pcnses in New York II thcre are any,"
a broadway house got this: ~ am
about to lay in stock OF blankets, COM
torters and rugs FOR the w.n;or. I nm
going TO mako special department in
my store this winter for this kind Of
goods. ! have not bought any OF my
stock yet and I am very busy and can't
spare the timo to come to Now York and
Look ut things myself Won't you please
want to buy, and if like them may
give you IN order for all my stock"
Another broadway house got n letter
almost identical from another person in
another town. In both cases drummcrs
woro sont instead OF tho samples. Tho
first request was really from dealer in
dry goods in n small way, and the drum
mer got III order largo enough to pay
m Tor his trip. Tho other drummer
had dilforont experience. When ho
got to tho town no looked all around for
store kept by tho writer OF the noto.
lie didn't find any. lie went to tho
poit-oflico, and thcro learned that tho
man ho was looking for was clerk In a
grocery store. lie was young follow
who had recently been married. lie
didn't have enough blankets, he said,
and no didn't want to buy any Ito
thought that il tho firm ho wrote 20 WAS
foolish enough TO send him supply ho
would be tho gamer lie didn't soc any
thing wrong in asking for them. Tho
drummer threatened to have him ar
rested for attempting TO obtain the
things under false pretenso, and til en-
loft him.
1t Is the demands OF the seekers after
small things that create tho most
trouble. Almost all merchants arc
willing to send samples OF their small
wares to any one who has any IDA OF
purchasing, but 1t is estima ted that at
least one-half OF tho requests for samples
come from persons who never buy. and
who really havo no use for and don't
want the ssmples that thoy ask for
They soom to write simply with tho
idea OF getting something for nothing.
The sample habit is not Of recent orr.
gin. Thirty years ago. at an American
Institute fair, man who had "a patent
flour to sell made grddlc cakes and muf-
fins and gave them 70 visitors as sam
pies. That was tn, beginning OF tho
thing. Some years later the ,proprictors
OF largo retail stores advertised that
they would gladly sond samples OF their
wares 70 persons who lived out OF town
and who could not afford to come TO New
York This enabled purchasers to SEQ
what they wore buying before they sent
their money through tho nails. 1t was
these advertisements that fully dcvcl-
oped tho habit. and whore IT. used TO
take few dollars, or at most fow hun
drcds. year 10 supply tho demand for
samples. it now takes thousands. Largo
houses have special sample departments
and employ extra clcras in thcEl. keep
ing them busy ut all seasons Of the year.
hundreds Of dollars arc spent for post
ago alone, and thousands moro for tho
goods that arc givon aaay. There arc
many houses in this city that receive
from 5000 To 2J.0J0 request, for sam
DlNS nj -.
receive four and Cyc times that number.
Fuily 81 per cent. OF tho requests como
from women, AMI OF those ~ per cent
are from married. women
Tho habit does not seem to have taken
very strong hold on an. but largo
clothing houses and tailors shy that they
got good many lctLors AMI spend {,
good deal OF m)n'y for samples. They
savo good deal by cuttin, up tho old
pieces OF cloth that they can not uso in
Tho manufacture OF tho clothing. AMI
sending thcn as simpios
The sample habit" said Il merchant,
with whom r,pDr:ar talked has
about reached its greatest development.
think. Tho merchants built 1t up and
they will havo to kill it OF IL has be-
come too largo drain. IA IL eating
into profits To an alarmin extent. or
course. IL will never DO got rid Of en-
tircly. for IL isn't desirable to do So
Some method will have TO DO discovered
by which the people who send for sam
plos OF things they don't want may DO
found out When they are cboked oil
VIC won't complain"
What u Handy Nan Can TO-
young volunteer In n light cavalry
regiment Quartrrcd up country III Al