The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-15


side neighborhood not long ago and found
that he had some serious competition
across the street.
He had the finest store, but people were
in the habit of going to the other fellow.
He saw during the first week that low
prices and better goods would not draw
trade alone. So he hired all the children
in a certain distant neighborhood to visit
his store each evening between and G.,
for which they were to receive car fare
and bag of candy.
When all were in the store, crowded as
tightly as they could be packed in, house.
wives concluded, in passing, that there
must be some great attraction to bring
all those people there. And they went in
and so low were the prices and SO fresh
the stock that they remained good GUS
toners.
Various branches of trade have their
various possibilities In the use of dead
heads" A famous horse doctor who be-
gan in a modest way tells. of how he
used "deadheads" to get start. when
people have fine horses" he said, they
do not like to trust them in the hands of
young doctors and strangers. When L
came to Chicago / had sign up at a
| livery stable alone to push my cause.
Then an epidemic of pink-eye broke out
In the feighborhood among the horses.
Nearly every horse within mile had the
disease, and there was a general rush
for horse doctors. One who had been es-
tablished for years was getting all the
patronage, so I took on a novel method
of fighting him.
1--WE took all the idle horses in the sta
BILE, bandaged up their eyes and allowed
them to stand near the stall windows.
People began to think that I had some
magic cure for the disease by seeing me
so prosperous, and I soon began to ac-
tually get cases, and SO successful was
my enterprise that 1t was the real foun-
dalton of my later success"
Hoyt's Bunch of Keys where the
porter rushes up and down the stairs with
a pitcher of water in order to convey the
impression that the empty house is full
of clamoring guests, is not greatly mag
nified. Hotels often do these things; they
are part of the trade and they are per-
fectly legitimate.
One has a certain hesitancy about going
into an empty hotel. One wonders why
bells are ringing, if the porters and bell
hops are ION the jump the impression
made upon a possible guest is magical
An atmosphere of business Is an aid to
any establishment. One feels in the
air that the place is prosperous. This is
the keynote of many firms success.
A st. Louis druggist who now enjoys
wide trade tells of his early experience
at the "deadhead' practice.
while I have used many deadhead
Methods he said. IT know of one plan
very similar which has never failed me.
think 1t is one of the mainstays of my
large business today. Every once in a
while I deliberately tell customer that
I am out of a certain article when | have
plenty of it on hand. This conveys the
impression that l am selling goods so fast
that I fail to order OF course, this only
applies to commonplace articles l would
not refuse to sell medicine or drugs which
might be needed for the sick. 1t is a
good idea for the real merchant. Every
once in a while tell the patrons that you
are out of a certain article, and 1t will
pay in the end If done tactfully."
If you have got some goods to sell. get
the crowds into the store first; make them
fight their way to your counter. Things
that come hard are always appreciated
more than those that come easy. The
public likes to fight for bargains and a
crowd will always swell
whenever I get customer into my
store" said a we'll known downtown re-
taller lately. Il know that it influences
| three more to enter"
| Did you ever stop to think why the
| restaurateur places mirrors in the walls
| of his place? Mainly because 1t conveys
the impression of more extensive es-
tablishment. He is preying upon the inn
preston of his guests. 1t is one of his
advertisements. These little things are
the mainstay of modern business meth
| DDS.
! In certain Olive street lunchroom the
| proprietor has placed mirrors in the rear
wall To one entering the shop the inn
preston Is conveyed that the room ex-
tends entirely through the block.
Not long ago two travellers entered this
place at the noon hour, when it was
packed They were received at the door
and the proprietor explained that in a
| few moments seats would be vacated
| But" demonstrated one, why can't
we look back there?"
The restaurateur smiled he didn't want
to give It away"
Impossible" he said.
"rd like to know why we can't find
some seats up there. We'd like to go up
| there and look, anyway"
| But as he showed forward he saw him
self in the glass and the Zig was up
| A cloak establishment has been man
aged for years upon the principle that If
you look prosperous you will prosper.
Therefore a number of "deadheads'' have
been employed by the firm. They are
| girls who go to school and who visit the
cloak shop at noon hour and at odd times
during the week. They congregate In the
salesrooms during shopping hours. They
TRY on garments and give the place an Air
/ OF activity that cannot fail to draw the
attention of legitimate customers. For
their trouble these business college girls