The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-09-22
RETAIL PRICES VARY
hoW SOME PEOPLE GET BIG oss-
COUNTS IN NEW YORK CITY.

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| One Of the curiosities Of retail business
IN New York ID 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 in the book trade. Some retail
booksellers frankly quote the publishers
price. and beside it the selling price.
which is from Is to IS per cent less.
Those who know the ropes never buy
books without claiming the discount
There are special discounts to clergymen,
to authors, to artists, to teachers, and
generally to what somebody has called
the academic classeA After that there
arc still greater discounts to few other
favored persons. There are men who pro
fess to buy books in small quantities at
70 per cent below publishers prices.
What is true Of books is true Of almos,
everything else that is bought and sold
When the article is q costly one. the dis
count gets to be absurdly, large. The
trade in diamonds and jewels, among a
peculiar class Of dealers, is thing with
out bottom Nobody can tell where the
discounts cease, since such things pass
from hand to hand at prices governed
often by the needs Of . temporarily en-
barrassed seller.
In the piano trade. in which there
were recently rumors Of q combination.
the matter Of discounts has become
byword. 1t is doubtful whether any
one ever buys q piano at catalogue
price. One firm advertises pianos At
from $3.50 TO 81 200. according to quality
but delivers them in New York at from
$3.50 to $So0-that is, to the ordinary
customer. There is further reduction
OF 10 per cent to teachers or to persons
buying two or more pianos. One firm
sdvertises the list" price Of square
pianos at $1,000; price by installment.
$3.50; price for cash. $500. You may
buy q grand piano at any price from
800 to 1880. But nobody pays the
Latter price. since the same piano may be
bad 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 $a75 to 81 .045.
A few dealers Of well established rep
utation resist the system Of discounts
but all sorts Of insiduous methods Of ap
preach 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
- no departing from rates These books
however, do not show the fact that in
many instances secondhand pianos have
been taken in part payment at a high
appraisement. When piano dealer has
reached the last ditch and made detian,
stand. the device Of demanding high
appraisement on q secondhand piano
gwen IN 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 to make are almost Of a
desperate sort. With the slightest en-
couragement they will place pianos on
trial in any respectable looking house or
apartment The unwilling purchaser re-
ceives profuse assurances Of esteemed
consideration and is prayed to be at ease
a. to the time Of full payment. ANY rea
sonaole demand as to terms is conceded !
and 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 ia he /
would IN buying horse or house or In
taking wife. When the purchasers
own powers Of persuasion have been ex
hausted, he calls in a music teacher and
gets further reduction or purchases
through a friend who has recently
bought for himself Sometimes the
music teacher gets a commission all to
himself. When the music teacher is no,
successful in obtaining the most favor.
able terms. some person in a kindred line
Of business to that Of the piano dealer is
invoked. and the purchase is finally made
1t from $500 to $500 under schedule
price.
lhe opposite phenomenon is observed
u the sewing machine trade. Since the
original patents expired all sorts Of in
iispeusable appliances have been patent
"a, and the manufacturers and dealers in
he best machines exact the uttermost
Jenny for these latter In some instance
device costs 10 times the price at which
can be produced, and all the various AL
taken together make up a
arge percentage Of the price at which
he machine is sold. Even secondhand !
rachines complete" are held at stiff
ates.
10 the trade on some articles Of house
there is seemingly no bottom
rice. Women, who are VIGOROUSLY the
est bargainers, go to wholesale houses
nd upon one pretext or another obtain
iscounts that bring prices far below re-
ali prices. Dealers cheerfully send ar !
Icles miles in the country on trial. take =
ack slightly damaged goods. pack and :
spack and at length smilingly accep, =
ayment with all sorts Of discounts
What Is true Of new furniture is still :.
'uer OF secondhand and antique AR :,
cies- In this trade there is no fixed dis ;.
punt, though surface prices are sinyu .
'rly uniform. Whether the shop be- in
18th avenue or in Canal street the prices
sked are much the same.-New York
an