Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1900-05-03
The Coupon Craze.

The coupon craze has established
itself firmly in Chicago. Some fifty
coupon book concerns, organized on
the endless chain idea, are in opera
tion and others are springing up with
mushroom like rapidity all over the
city says Chicago paper. Furni-
ture, hats, shoes, gloves, canes, UNI
5rellas, silk skirts and entire suits are
offered as premiums, and if the cpl
iemic keers on, says Inspector Stuart
# the postoflice, royal white elephants
and rare specimens Of gyasticutus
curiosus will soon be on the list of
Kings offered public, willing to
,lrop business and desert home in the
evenings to 90 coupon selling
The craze involves all classes of
people. In the downtown district
one concern has put out nearly 100
conpon books among young women
photographers These books cost
$120 and contain five 20-cent cou-
pons. When all the coupons have
oeen sold and returned to the office of
the concern with $1.00 additional for
another book, the original purchaser
is entitled to a silk skirt. represented
TO be worth So to 81. The cost to the
original purchaser is 20 cents, she
having retained the money for the
five coupons sold. A woman has
dress goods. ribbons, gloves and mil
linery to offer to those who dispose of
l0-cent coupons, while man gives
away" furniture under similar con-
ditions.
operate no Office or stock of goods Is
necessary and but few of the concerns
have rooms or offices. The furniture
man has his office in his hat His
book contains five 81 coupons and
costs $40, When the five coupons are
sold the original purchaser has his so
back, and when each Of the coupons
has been turned in and IS additional
paid for another book he is entitled
% $50 worth Of furniture. BY this
time the furniture man has $40
They are good schemes, said In
,pector Stuart. .but people should be
warned against them, although the
craze viii die out Of itself soon. 1t
is being run to death. & man cant
turn around but what some one shoves
i coupon vt him. | hear i hall a
dozen schemes of this kind dav. \
good many of them are operating
throughout the country, having inn
distinguishing letter heads. with eats
of.the sixteen story building in which
they have desk room, but leading out
slider. @ believe they occupy the en-
tire structure.
II reached home the other evening
to find that my wife had bought Il
coupon from friend who wanted 4
silk skirt offered ~ one 81 these con-
Germs In order that her friend could
get the skirt my wife had to buy i
book for herself She was 81 20 OUT,
because when She tried to sell her own
coupons she found all her acquaint-
ances had books of their own The
first man generally is the only one
who gets anything. The second SET
Of buyers finds everyone else with
books.
Anyone can start scheme OF this
sort. 1t requires but little capital.
Talk about the man with the hoe. it 5
the man with the scheme. Chicago
is full of him. think this is the
greatest town in the country for
things OF the sort. 1t keeps the de-
partment busy looking after them"
One man, said the inspector. had
attempted to start business on cash
basis. For every one dollar book
sold be gave 81 cash, coupons being
20 cents each. The spacious argu-
ment. applied in the other cases. that
buying the goods in large amounts
enabled the promoters to keep the
thing going VS. not applicable to the
through.