The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-31
ODD WAYS OF ADVERTISING
BIZ SOME METROPOLITAN RETAIL
 FRS.
Manifold Imposttions of Customers
 Endured Out of Policy.

Endured Out of Policy.
 The Spectators eyes have of late
 been opened to certain lines of policy
 used by leading business houses as de-
 liberate and yet direct methods of ad- vertising. And these policies have
 shown so subtle and shrewd an insight
 into human nature that, studying them the respect which the Spectator has ever had for the business mind is in-
 creased tenfold. The most positive l and pervasive of these methods, in the Spectators observation, Is shown in the policy of trusting customers-not mere | ly by allowing charge accounts, but in more intricate ways The customer in the highest grade retail houses Is, for
 aught he knows to the contrary given | the absolute freedom of the shop, and 1 this for the best of business reasons. | In jeweler's establishment it Is not so easy to hide from customers the 1 fact that they are not supremely trust | ed, for here the most precious articles l may be the smallest gems. Yet the de- tective service employed is most won derfully concealed. The Spectator, be- | fore he was wiser, has often stood look ing with wonder at trays containing objects of great value spread out with
 seeming carelessness on the counters, while clerks indifferently turned their backs. But the fact is that these treas ures were under the strictest guard, by a sufficiently expert force to make | a m at tba rfo of 10 p1n unnecessary.
 Last Christmas season the Spectator
 overheard a conversation which filled
 him with amazement and confusion. It
 was between two schoolgirls, daughters
 of a friend, and they were delightedly
 discussing their experiences of the day
 before. which experiences, it appeared,
 they intended to repeat the next day.
 The Spectator, in the interests of their
 personal safety, allowed himself to con-
 tinue overhearing this interchange of
 confidence. It appeared that young
 brother Gan ingenious little wretch he
 must have been) had opened to them
 the delightful possibilities, already
 tested by him, of playing horse with
 detective" The simple and pleasing plan was to go to large jewelry store. there purchase some small article, and then with a little pains the detective could be spotted by his eyes. For if you just act little queer" so these young folks asserted, you'll find some body is eyeing you, and then you know that's the detective, and you can tease him all you want" Tease a detective! The Spectators blood ran cold. But it was only too plain that these irrepres- sble young people had been doing that very thing. How far they had deceived the astute gentleman as to their actu- al wickedness of intent the Spectator does not pretend to decide, but they had unquestionably. by their suspicious manner. led him to dance from one end of the store to the other. It is needless to say that the Spectator, be- ing an old friend of the family. dropped @ confidential word into the ear of those to whom had been accorded the happy privilege of bringing up this brood, and by the reception of his news he is of the opinion that their delight full game was suddenly interrupted. But this was not the end. A few days later the Spectator chanced into jew elry-shop, and when there remembered what he had heard, with the not un- result that he with some inter est also looked about to see if he could with the naked eye select the store de- tective from among the throng. The | almost immediate result was that the ! Spectator found himself selected by the | detective It was a mutual and, to the | Spectator, a somewhat startling recog- nition Most certainly the Spectator | found what he was looking for, and did | not particularly enjoy what he found; | out how that detective SO instantly Snew when purchaser began to think of other matters than purchase, he Spectator could only understand by accepting the fact that this was exact V what he was trained to do, and the purpose for which he was engaged. rhe Spectator, on being detected, meek y cast down his inquiring eyes and to the "shadowlng" which he 'eceived from that moment until he left he store, conscious that he himself lad deliberately earned the distinction.
 There is another advertising policy loted by the Spectator of egative character and common to many of the arger retail business houses. This akes the shape of invariably giving to he customer the benefit of all doubts n each and every case (such is the lolicy) the customer Is by fixed law O enjoy the sensation of having the best of any argument. Lately the spectator had occasion to write to a arge retail store complaining that one f his purchases had been left out of he package sent home to him. and be- ore nightfall a small boy appeared yith the duplicate of the missing arti- le in his hand, which the Spectator yould have pleasantly accepted had he . ot already, with some embarrassment iscovered the missing object wrapped 1side one of his other purchases. $ his he told the messenger, who re- eived the news with no sign of inter- ( st or surprise. Tt was in the toe of the slipper" ex- { laned the Spectotor further. S Was it?" said the boy, with the first / leam of intelligence. Tt must have I rorked down. I put it in the heel" Did you wrap it in the bundle your alf?" asked the astounded Spectator s "Yes, sir" Did you tell your proprietor so?" "Yes, sir" T xyntt fa1I