The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-07-20
Window Display.

his wares to the buyer, and the dealer
exhibiting to the best advantage
secured the most purchasers. Your
y store is your market place and it is
to your interest to display your wares
9 to better advantage than your COM
{. petitor. A window mean money to
, you; the more prominent the location
! the more valuable it is for show pur-
poses. III.
: Watch a good window display and
see how many people stop and look
at it, and count the number who are
led to purchase through that solely.
1.-THE display should not be fashy, but
in keeping with the article advertised.
} The interior arrangements should be
tastefully arranged with harmonious
colorings; simplicity is o to be de-
sired than an overdone effect.
How few grocers appreciate q good
window. The majority of their win
dows will be found dust covered, with
spiders busily working in the corners.
All grocers sell green goods, yet how
many of them know how to arrange
this class in a tempting manner, or to
show their fruits to advantage? A
grocer usually fills his windows with
piles of canned goods, packages, etc.,
and leaves them for weeks without
change. In winter time this window
could he used to better advantage to
display oranges, lemons, and such
green goods as are in season, while in
summer Advertising World-4 80.
these can be arranged on trays in front
of the store in orderly fashion and not
he~lter-skelter. Many times I have
purchased from q store just because my
appetite was aroused by the dis
play.
The ~haberdasher has an excellent
opportunity to show his stock in his
window. IF his store is in y promi-
nent locality he will find that he can
do just as we'll without newspaper
advertising, and for some articles
newspapers are not worth 10 per cent,
of what they charge. I would person.
ally prefer ten window displays in
prominent places than ten inches in
the newspapers for three weeks.
Jewellers know and appreciate the
value of a good window and further
enhance the effect by means of mir
rors. Revolving mirrors also set OH
the stock.
Druggists are the class that make a
good deal Of their window. In this
they r helped to a great extent by
the manufacturer, who send out dis
plays all ready to be put together.
Druggists have found it of value to
ofttimes permit window demonstra-
tions. One clothing house in New
York City advertised. their rain coats
Ir hox,;~xo ,1o<,~r 1f fhnSr DinHnu
%partitioned off, installed a shower
bath and then had a young man
dressed in a waterproof hat, one OF
the rain coats in question, and rubber
boots, showing their rainproof quality,
and it made 4 very effective ad, the
window front being crowded all day.
I have known where q window on a
main street increased sales 500 to 1900
per cent. varying with the display.
For instance, the dealer, a druggist,
arranged artistic piles of peanut brittle,
selling at Is cents per pound, and sur
rounded the whole with harmonious
c%olorings, using a small part of his
window. His sales leaped from five
packages to sixty-fve on ordinary days
and to eighty.fve on Saturday. In
terspersed with the piles were neat
cards extolling the goods, like Take
q box home to the wife; remember she
likes candy" Remember the little
ones: there's nothing 80 healthy as
peanut brittles." "Don't forget your
girl likes brittles." His window Is
his method of advertising and pays
him well. Proper display can also be
carried 10 the counter arrangements.
If the merchant cannot decorate his
window properly himself, or has no
capable, there are any number
Of window trimmers who would be
only too glad to devote an hour or two
each week to his service. If you
haven't been using your window
properly, just try some good display
and watch the result.
In connection with window display
come demonstrating. One can
support the other effectively. The
grocery man can use a demonstrator
to advantage, introducing new arti-
cles of merit to his customers, but
the Mecca for demonstrators Is the de-
partment store. -.
Demonstrators are usually employed
by the manufactures or wholesalers,
but there Is no reason why the retailer
could not use a good saleslady this
way. In Boston the department stores
the manufacturers for the use
of floor space for their demonstrators, r
and there.is a good reason for it. Just
why a manufacturer should use your
floor space and the benefit of your
good will be to exploit his articles,
you receiving merely the usual profit,
is beyond me. I would suggest that
all retailers ask a rental for the 8 of
space for demonstrators, or If they
have a demonstrauor of their own, ssk
q price for the use of her services, the
manu facturer to supply the goods,
with plenty of samples. A good local
demonstration could be secured for
from $500 to $1,000 weekly, depending
upon size of town, etc.
Anew York manufacturing chemist
is putting a line of completion and
toilet artiles on the market and the
only advertising being done is by
means of demonstrators and the book
lets which they give out. In one de
partment store in Brooklyn one of
their experienced demonstrators sold
on a Saturday over $4,000 worth of
goods, and on ordinary days her sales
amounted to about $4,000, and profit
on articles sold were about 80 per cent.
She more than earned her expenses,
which averaged $500 weekly.
The Grocers' Association of Brooklyn
held, in April, a pure food show to
which the general advertisers sent
their demonstrators with plenty of
samples. One of the largest halls was
secured and tickets were furnished the