The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-05

i, mimeograph counterfeit of a dictated let ter.
 There is one class of advertising which merchants are justified in avoiding or using very cautiously. Publications got ten out ostensibly in the interest of some church or society-"freak" schemes, which are never noticed by busy people and attract attention only from the ide-and great deal of the special literature of tered by so-called advertising experts in the east, either through the mails or by personal solicitation of agents-are in- cluded In this class of advertising. Most of this does no good to anybody except the promoters. It is questionable if the average merchant has any idea of how much money he expends in this doubtful. or worse than useless. publicity. If he were to check his advertising account he would probably find that a third or a half his advertising money had been ab- sorbed by It.
 While not strictly relevant to the sub- ject, few words about special sales ! may be permitted We have had an cpl demic of them all this year. and the pub He Is discouraging them quite heavily. | There has been too much stress in the l advertising of them. The impression ere | ated on the average man by these sales | is there must be an enormous profit in | certain goods at the beginning of the
 
 fictitious. Now, while sales are undoubt- edly justified to a certain extent by cor- ditions, their ultimate effect is bad. This criticism is not intended to be import inent it is a friendly voice from the out side. The knife is cutting the merchant who handles 1t as well all of his fellow merchants. It is worse than the trading stamp evil magnified 10 times. In conclusion, the nucleus of an idea is respectfully suggested, With the hope of inviting discussion that will work It out on practical lines. If the right scheme Is hit upon, 1t may prove the salvation of the local situation if the miners strike should continue. Birmingham Is general ly recognized as one of the best retail trade centers in the south, yet compara- lively little has been done in the way of systematic effort to induce the people of Alabama and adjoining states to come to Birmingham and do their trading. Here is a field ripe for harvest There will be bumper crops in the south this year-in fact, the people in the rural districts have not felt the force Of hard times | like those in the industrial belt. and they | are already in a buoyant frame of mind as to the crop outlook whatever fear | they may express as to low prices for l products.
 | Such being the case and with railroad
 fares cheaper than ever before, Birming- i ham ought to be able to attract enough | of this outside trade to more than com | pensate for the leanness of local business. 1 How to do it is knotty problem, but 1 l. Is well worth trying to solve It should , however, take the form of a general 1 concerted movement on the part of mer- l chants along business lines to induce the | people of Alabama and Mississippi and East Georgia to come to Birmingham for business reasons-for the sole purpose of buying. Crowds attracted to a city by | spectacular events do not patronize the | stores to any extent. Before seeing the show they are too excited to think much of buying; afterward they are too weary. In fact. the general effect of | big crowd is to tire the mind.
 Make buying the sole inducement to | come, and everybody who comes will be buyer. It Is hoped there will be some discussion of this suggestion; the crude idea Is merely thrown out, but if practical plan should be hit upon. now | is the time to put it into execution when the newspapers have plenty of space in which to exploit it and they may be de- pended upon to do their full share of the l effort to make it a success.