Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-24
PREMIUM SCHEMES.
Something for Nothing" Craze is a
Delusion and Snare,
To the Editor

To the Editor.
This is a day when Il Is a hard mat
ter to sell goods upon their merits 1t
seems that there must be some gift
to induce the people to buy an article,
and Il is often very amusing TO notice
how the public, especially the fair sex,
will buy an article of inferior quality
so that they may get the premium.
They think that the premium Is had for
nothing. that It Is given them free OF
cost for using that kind Of goods. For
instance TO show the folly Of such an
idea: There are two kinds Of cocoanut
on the market. one gives premiums to
the purchaser the other does not The
one which gives premiums costs the
retailer 27iA cents per pound package,
while the other costs him 2Jh cents
The retailer then, to make 1t profitable
for handling, should sell one at 30 cents
and the other at 30 cents. That would
make q difference OF cents on each
package, This then pays for the pre-
MUM,
Again, let US consider the cereal gift
scheme. Before a certain class Of oat-
meal was contaminated with this great
evil Of premiums, It sold three for %
cents; now 1t is selling two for % cents,
Why? Because by offerings for premi-
ums gold watches, whole sets Of dishes,
sewing machines, and many other arr
tiCles, they are compelled TO advance
the price OF the goods so as TO make
the public pay for the premiums.
THE cereal companies premium
plan," says the Chicago Tribune, us
carrying them down with their own
weight Now they are trying TO In
augurate some plan TO help themselves
mp | hope this idea OF getting some
thing FOR nothing will soon be looked
down upon by the public as 1t should
be,
An eastern paper has this to say
about Il. I'm short, II partakes Of the
nature Of gambling, OF which the profit
Is sure to 20 to those who exploit such
devices for attracting custom, and the
real cure Is for people to refuse TO be
fooled by such schemes" The gift
scheme has a demoralizlng effect upon
business. II robs the merchant Of his
legitimate profits and IN order to make
ends meet he must invariably get proht
by unfair methods. To do honest,
legitimate business one must abstain
from all deception, In the way OF
premiums, trading stamps cupons, and
DISCOUNTS.
My experience has been that the
places Of business that practise decep-
ton get the poorer class of trade. What
! mean by this is that those who are
always hunting a bargain by trying
to get things at half price, are all
ways poor and always viii be.
Dear reader, don't let your magma
ton get the better Of your judgment,
aud when the news Of some great
bankrupt sale or a slaughter In prices,
reaches your ears, look out, a good
article is always saleable but poor
one Is often not cheap az any price.
BE careful of the man who offers some
thing for nothing. His plan looks sus-
picious, he has q scheme wherein he Is
benehtng himself, Tho American peo-
pie are being bilked every day and /
only wish ! were able to convince the
public that the craze OF something
for nothing" Is delusion and first
originated In the brains OF grafters
am reminded OF a young man who
read an advertisement which stated,
How TO get rich for 81" The young
man sent 81 back and this was the
answer, Catch suckers, like we are
doing" q II II