The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1912-05-09

ness and wholesalers and manufact-
urers are looking forward to busy
season during the next month.
The first few warm days produced
the desired results, iaasmuch that
there is of late large increase in
mail orders for spring goods.
The MANUFACTURERS FAKE
SHOE STORES
Several manufacturers of shoes
have adopted the fake" bargain
store methods in distributing their
product. A favorite method is to
hire an upstairs room, which may or
may not be run directly under the
name of the manufacturer. If it is
run under the name of the manufac-
turer the statement is made to the
public that by hiring an upstairs
room at low rental, the manufac-
turer is able to sell the shoes at re-
tail at the wholesale manufacturing
price; advertising to sell 81 90 shoes
for ~. S5-something which no shoe
manufacturer can honestly do. If
the fake bargain shoe parlor is
owned directly or Indirectly by the
manufacturer or is run under a
name other than the manufacturer
the impression is usually given to
the public that the shoe store is the
exclusive selling agent, etc
Now it does not matter which
way this shoe parlor is run, in either
case the fact is that no manufacture
ers can retail $500 shoes for 1886
not as a steady thing. A few jobs
or floor goods may be sold on that
bases, which is practically at cost,
but no one can afford to open a
shoe parlor for that purpose for a
short time; and if the shoe parlor is
run permanently it means nothing
more or less than That fake" goods
are being made for the purpose Of
gold bricking" the public 1t does
not matter whether the fake" store
is upstairs or down stairs, whether
it is owned by the manufacturer or
some one. else, 1T stillsremains1 i'm
possible to sell real s4.O0 shoes for
1886 or $3.50 shoes for 81. 95. The
only difference is that when the
shoe manufacturer himself partici-
pates directly in this form or decep-
ton, it may seem more, plausible
and thus deception may temporarily
be more effective.
This sort of deception constitutes
one of the real abuses of the shoe
trade, and is one that the organized
shoe retailers should take hold of
with determination to expose in
every form to the pubic, un-
til the last one of such fake stores,
by whomsoeyer owned or wherever
run, are forced out of business by
the public who have become better
educated in shoe values ard who are
Indignant at h e receptions that
have been practiced upon them in
the past.
The So called sample shoe store"
which for some time has been a
great menace to the retailer, is also
a subject which the public should
more clearly understand. The SAT-
URDAY EVENING Posi-, some few
weeks ago, contained very
thorough description of this fake
scheme, which subject will be taken
up in this column in the future.
A few years ago / happened to
be talking o,.the2 proprietor of one
of these sample shoe stores when
in walked a tall, broad shouldered,
long-limbed Negro, who worked on
a railroad section. He had seen the
large sign on the front of the show
window and coming into the store,
walked up to the owner and re-
marked: Say boss. All wants the
best pal! o samples y'awls got in dis
store to fit nah feets dat s1.75 will |
buy" / at once glanced at his feet
and then looked up at the proprie-
tor. lie was also glaring at the
Negroes feet. What size shoes do
you wear, George?" he calmly re-
marked. George thought awhile