The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-11-18
PORTLAND PIANO BUSINESS.
To Corvallis Lady it Showed up
Awfully Lively.

| To Corvallis Lady it Showed VI
Awfully Lively.
A Corvallis lady who went te
Portland last week to purchase a
piano and returned without an in
strument tells how she was struck
with the difference in the piano
houses methods of doing business.
The lady was warmly received
at one of the leading establish
ments. She had looked about for
only short time when after good
deal of demonstration at the phone,
an attache of the house came in
with a large card and hung it on
the piano. The inscription on the
card was "So1d." The gentleman
attending the Corvallis lady inform
ed her that the instrument had
been sold by telephone. Presently
another was sold in the same man
ner. and then another. Apparent
ly a man was kept busy selling
pianos by wire and placing sold"
cards on the instr uments.
'This seems to be your busy
time of day." remarked the lady
who was the only customer present.
ooh, no, indeed. we have sold
FIVE hundred pianos and organs al
ready today. The instruments are
going very fast and I would advise
you to make up your mind at once.
to take this piano-you seem to
like it, and it is very popular in
strument.'
''Do you sell many of them?"
More than any other style" re-
piled the clerk.
Just then there was another tele-
phone call, and it proved to be an
order for the last one of the lady's
favorite instrument. AS the card
was hung upon it the clerk observ-
ed the effect upon the customer.
She feigned intense disappointment.
The clerk undertook to console her
by stating that he had others in
the warerooms exactly like it, but
she refused to be comforted. She
would not even take the piano she
had set her heart on because the
real purchaser would doubtless be
greatly disappointed upon not re-
ceiving that identical instrument; if
she hadn't wanted that one she
wouldn't have phoned for it. The
Corvallis lady finally permitted her
selfto be ledt to the door in hysteri-
cal mood.
Its needless to say that the lady
became braced up by the time she
arrived at the next piano
house At the time she enter
red there didn't seem to be
much doing, but. as soon as she in
reduced herself, business began to
improve. It became almost as live
y as it was at the other place. The
nsted by the lady was, at
he latter place people came in per-
'on to buy pianos and planked
lown the twenty-dollar pieces in
This firm also nearly
;o1d out while she was there.
81 notice, said the prospective
,uyer," that you do busidess on a
,asis different from your competit-
'rs across the way. They sell al
most entirely by telephone, while
,ou sell, seemingly. for cash only"
Yes" responded the attendant,
but -
Here the lady broke in with this
Information: II had hoped to Sc
ure an instrument on the install
nent plan, but since it appears to
e your rule to sell for cash I shall
Q elsewhere She would not al
ow the house to vary from its rule
o accommodate her. ]
The Corvallis lady was thorough
y out of patience with the designs
f the Portland dealers. She dis
overed that pianos were consider
bly, higher there than at home,
nd will order through local
gent.
The lady would be glad to supple
nent the Portland board of trades !
inquiry as to the scarcity of freight !!
ars, If the Portland piano dealers
ach ship in 500 pianos per day,
S their alleged sales indicate, what
'ecomes of the empty cars?