Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-15

ii
The proprietor of the store in the middle one
day found himself momentarily beaten on get
ting down town one morning. when he discov-
cred that the owner of the store on his right
had placarded his shop with sensational an
nouncements of great fire SALE while the
man on his left had covered his store with huge
banners proclaiming receivers SALE" His
face dropped Then his features relaxed in
gradually expanding smile. He rushed to the
back of his store and called up some one over
the telephone.
One hour later the crowds that had been at
tracted to the scene by the fire sale" and re
ceiver's sale" proclamations. flocked into the
store between the two. The proprietor had
caused to be stretched across the top of his en-
trance sheet on which were painted in letters
two feet high the words Main Entrance"
Great Battle of Clothiers
Of these odd trade battles. probably none is
more worthy of notice than the prolonged
fight waged last year among group of clothing
dealers in the lower part of New York, which
finally landed dozen or more of its partici-
pants in the police station. The scene of the
conflict was that particular district where the
Canal. Chrystie, and Forsyth-st cart vendors
always to be found indulging in cut
price war with shopkeepers. There are about
fifty vendors to block, and they offer for sale
most minor articles of wearing apparel.
This particular contest took on its first serious
phase when the vendors openly proclaimed a
fight to finish with the shopkeepers. At the
outset the Dattle was SIMPLY a Sk1rmlSn ne
vendors cut prices first, then the shopkeepers
cut under them. The vendors began to slash,
and the stores followed suit. The printing of
new price cards became so expensive that
blackboards and chalk were substituted. When
things got to the point where the price of an
article was cut four times in single day, the
situation began to grow really interesting.
The first ingenious shot in the campaign was
fired by one of the shopkeepers. who adver
tised that he would serve free hot lunch to all
IN hafU in he
morning and two in the afternoon. The blow
told and for several days the merchant practi
cally controlled the bulk of trade for the three
important hours. Other merchants tried vari-
Gus schemes to win over the customers, but
failed.
Then the force system" was inaugurated
In front of every store a salesman was stationed
to shout out the inducements his employer Of
fered. Young and strong men were engaged
for these jobs and commission was given them
for each customer they succeeded in Turing into
the store Consequently. outside statesmen did
not rely long on their voices alone to win buy
ers and many prospective customer was Prac-
tically jiu-jitsued away from a rivals window
into the shop next door. The moment posi-
BILE customer hove in sight, the statesmen were
after him like pack of hounds.
Several of the merchants, not getting much
trade in this way as they liked, soon elaborated
the force system by engaging extra statesmen,
whose duty it was to wander round the district
like walking delegates and find customers.
These men carried catalogues of prices with
them and frequently brought back buyers
from a distance of quarter of mile away.
Other shopkeepers soon engaged corps of walk
ing statesmen, and then, to cap the competitive
climax, the street vendors brought their wives
and children and relatives to the scene to So
lic1t customers for them.
In numerous instances even after a GUS
toner succeeded in getting into a store in
which he desired to make purchases, he would
be followed by dozen or more outsiders. who
literally tried to drag him into their own shops,
and, in the fight that always followed between
shopkeepers and intruders, the customer, being
the bone of contention, was the one who suf
fered most. The following clipping from a
newspaper during the period of trade warfare
aptly illustrates the state of affairs that existed
Rudolph Carmano, a dock laborer who
lives at PIG Bowery. registered a complaint at
the Eldridge-st. police station yesterday against
two outside statesmen in Grand-st who, he al
leges, attacked him while he was on his way
home, dragged him into a clothing store which
they represented, and forced him to buy three
neckties at eighteen cents apiece. Carmano,
who has been in this country only three months,
is unable to speak English. He told the police
sergeant, through an interpreter, that he had
endeavored to tell the statesmen that he did not
want their goods; but, he alleges, they COM
PEELED him to buy the neckties anyway before
they allowed him to leave"
During the reign of force in the district