The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-05-20
ADVERTISING SAVED HIM
Experience of a Country Mer.
chant During a ''Pinch"
BOUGHT GOODS AND ADVERTISED
Special Sales Day Astonished Him and
He Tried it Again With Great Sue
cess. Worthy Of Practice.

NJ. NJ. Wood in the current number of
the Retailer and Advertiser gives the
following interesting experience OF a
country merchant whose territory had
been invaded by modern store with
modern methods. He said:
Some six or seven years ago was
pretty hard pushed. A new store with
the most modern of modern methods
had been opened in my vicinity
concluded it was bound to RUIN me
financially and might as we'll pull up
stakes and move elsewhere before |
was quite cleaned out, so began to
cut my advertising expense. And
why is it, Lwonder, that the first thing
the average retailer does when times
are hard is to invite them to be still
harder by cuttitg down the advertising
or half killing the goose that is laying
the golden eggs, as it can't begin to lay
even half as many when more are most
needed But that is depression, The
reduction had been going on for some
time and l was running further and
further behinu my usual sales when
one Saturday night, in thinking the
matter over, grew pretty thoroughly
angry. | suppose the old fashioned
country people would have expressed
the mental condition | was in by stat
ing that had my dander' or 'Ebene-
zer' up.
81 finally decided. for all the time |
was laying the blameon my competitor,
who, thought, was just throwing mon
ely away and must have lot to burn.
that if it made me bankrupt would
have the fun OF beating him once on
his own ground and die game. So |
outlined quite an elaborate plan OF ad-
vertising. | concluded to use up all
the money 1 had laid aside for new
goods that should te brought in within
the next three months, for was sut1i
!, cieutly conservative to plan my bust
ness in that way-always have a three
months purchasing fund ahead, some
thing very few merchants do, except a
small amount that l would use to buy
some of what certain important
Wholesale house might call trace
bringers,' small articles such as are
generally wanted ana for which any
one and every one has 10 or Is cents
to spare. did not expect to make a
cent on the sale of these articles, but
thought | would rig up attractively
some tables in the store and display
these goods so as to out do my com
petitor and give people something to
talk about before | failed, as expect
to do. | thought this move would
simply hasten the coming OF that day.
/ rushed an order to the city and spent
an entire day in preparing some circu-
lars and general advertising matter for
the local papers. In fact, in this respect
I decided to branch out little and in
sert ads. in two papers several miles
distant that had never before been
;, patronized by either of US, as we had
not supposed any trade could be at.
tracted from their centers. 1t was just
the mean spirit of rivalry that prompt
!, ed me. and the reward was far better
I than merited.
''By the time the goods were receiv-
ed / was sufficiently enthusiastic to
send for some window display fixtures,
reasoning that a few dollars more or
less would not then make any differ.
ence, and for once, so long as had
started in, the thing should be well
done | see now. though, that even
the preparation for this had aroused q
little dormant enthusiasm. and l was
myself becoming Interested, My cir
culars were neat, my newspaper ads.
good, those sale tables | made just as
attractive as possible, and in order to
give an appearance of prosperity to
the whole affair | hired for the three
days sale l had announced two pretty
salesgirls and one serious looking bust.
mess woman. Those circulars we're
mailed, not delivered-for didn't pro.
pose to lose the chance of any being
thrown away-to every one within a
radius of ten or dozen miles in every
direction.
When Iopened my store doors that
morning, people from the surrounding
country were even then driving into
town to see what was going on at my
store. By afternoon l was desperate.
The goods were not going to hold out
much beyond that day. I was so de.
termined to die game that I telephoned
or another lot of table bargains and
#dered some shipped ty express, with,
course, preference in the selection
! Wr light weight articles, and ordered
q others rushed by fast freight
TX, il there is such an individual,
!. ION my side then, and you would
g smiled to see how quickly all