The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-03-03
RETAIL PRICES VARY;
HOW SOME PEOPLE GET BIG DIS
COUNTS IN NEW YORK CITY.

Year Ir You Buy Right.
One of the curiosities of retail business
Ill New York is the system of discounts
granted to all sorts of persons and for all
sorts of reasons. Nobody has ever dis
covered the point at which discounts
cease i'll the book trade. Some retail
booksellers frankly quote the publishers
price, and beside it the selling price
which is from 10 to % per cent less.
Those who know the ropes never buy
books without claiming the discount
There respecial discounts to clergymen,
to authors, 20 artists, to teachers and
generally to what somebody has called
the academic classes. After that there
are still greater discounts to few other
favored persons. There are men who pro-
fess to buy books III small quantities at
40 per cent below publishers prices.
What is true of books is true OF almost
everything else that is bought and sold
When the article is a costly one, the dis
count gets to be absurdly large. The
trade in diamonds and Jewels, among u
peculiar class of dealers, is thing with
out bottom. Nobody can tell where the
| discounts cease, since such things pass
from hand to hand ut prices governed
often by the needs of temporarily en-
barrassed seller.
In the piano trade, III which there
were recently rumors Of Il combination,
the matter Of discounts has become
byword. 1t is doubtful whether any
one ever buys Il piano ut catalogue
price. One firm advertises pianos at
from $500 10 81 200, according to quality,
but delivers them i'll New York at from
$50 TO SS00-that is, to The ordinary
customer. There is Il further reduction
OF 10 per cent TO teachers or to persons
buying two or more pianos. One firm
advertiscs tie 'list' price of square
pianos ut $1,000; price by installment
$3.50; price for cash, $500. You may
buy grand piano at any price from
500 TO @l,S0O. But nobody pays the
latter price, since the same piano may lie
had for the asking at 81 200. Upright
pianos are catalogued at prices varying
from $3.50 to 81 800. but they may be had
for cash at from 1910 to 81 ,045.
a few dealers of well established rep
utation resist the system of discounts,
but all sorts Of insiduous methods Of ap-
proach are employed, and the price is
seldom insisted upon. Some dealers
gravely exhibit books showing the record
of sales and prices, and protest that there
is no departing from rates. These books,
however, do not show the fact that in
many instances secondhand pianos have
been taken III part payment mt a high
appralscment. When a piano dealer has
reached the last ditch and made defiant
stand, the device of demanding high
appraisement on secondhand piano
given i'll part payment usually fetches
him. The receipted bill always shows
that the new piano has been placed at
the full rate with the usual discount.
The devices of manufacturers with re-
putations yet 10 make arc almost of Il
desperate sort. With the slightest en-
conragemcnt they will place pianos on
trial in any respectable looking house or
apartment. The unwilling purchaser re-
ceives profiIse assurances of esteemed
consideration and is prayed to be ut ease
as to the time of full payment. Any rea-
sonable demand as to terms is conceded
ana the seller seems so anxious for moth
ing as to add another debtor TO his list.
The result of all this is that no careful
person purchases piano without taking
advice. He goes about it solemnly as he
would in buying Il horse or IL house or in
taking Il wife. When the purchasers
own powers Of persuasion have been cx-
haustcd, lie calls in Il music teacher and
gets further reduction CT purchases
through Il friend .who has recently
bought FOR himself. Sometimes the
music teacher gets commission all to
himself When the music teacher is not
successful i'll obtaining the most favor
able terms, some person in Il kindred line
OF business to that of the piano dealer is
invoked, and the purchase is finally made
at from $500 to $500 under schedule
price.
The opposite phenomenon is observed
III the sewing machipc trade. Since The
original patents expired all sorts of in
dispensable appliances have been patent
ed, and the manufacturers and dealers in
the best machines exact the uttermost
penny for these latter. In some instance
Il device costs 10 times the price at which
il can be produced, and all the various ap-
rurtcnanccs taken together make ND a
large percentage OF the price at which
ut machine is sold. Even secondhand
machines 'complcte' are held at stiff
rates.
To the trade on some articles of house
furnishing there is seemingly no bottom
price. Women, who are VIGOROUSLY the
best bargainers, go to wholesale houses
and upon one preteXt or another obtain
discounts that bring prices far below re-
tail prices. Dealers chcerfully send ar-
ticles miles in the country on trial, take
back slightly damaged goods, pack and
repack and at length smilingly accept