The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-02-17

II advertised my new sales plan in
the papers, and I sailed my empty
window with a half bushel of old
shoes. Then sat down to wait.
Il did wait, too. The thing was 50
new it took the people some time to
assinailate the idea. began to think
about that old line-Cash pa d for
hides, with the men inside with re-
ference to my own hide II didn't get
my cash out Of those Oxfords in time
to stock up. But in a few days old
shoes began to come my way. They
kept on coming. The pile in the win
dow grew and spread out over the
white cloth like a volcanic eruption
of shabby leather. They couldn't wear
their old shoes out quick enough to
suit em.
Every day we tr ed to put a new
gag or two in the window. A pair of
frowzy >twelves We labeled Fifteen
thousand miles with President Taft
The hole in the sole of a feminine
ruin we called The spot that made
Will callous." Others We named
The Suffraget,' The Patrolman,'
From Atlanta to the Sea- "A victim
of the Free Lunch Habit and any
thing else that promised to catch the
eye.
by the end Of the month, August
We had 942 pairs of those old shoes
~in the window, and the scheme had so
attracted attention that we increased
our August sales by 1850 pairs. After
everybody had had a lot Of fun out of
the old shoes We carted 'em-that is,
the shoes--off and sold the lot for
$3.50, which wasn't so bad when you
consider I would have sold IS shoes
for 1885 at a regular sale and the
81 cash for the old shoes saved me
/ cents on every pair.
The following February we tried
the scheme again and piled LOO
pairs Of hasbeens into our window. In
this instance, by way of increasing the
donate the old shoes to charity. The
idea was worth a good deal to me-
1t brought me a trade that has kept
up ever since.'
Made Study of Feet.
But the little sales plan, though it
saved George at that time, had only
an accidental influence on his sue.
cess. George would have succeeded
anyway. If shoe shop were like
church you would find tackled up
above the chancel in letters twelve
inches high this text. "A good fit
nnakth happy foot" A happy foot.
it goes without saying, makes a happy
man. There is no better way of en-
tering~ the shoe trade than through
the bootblack's stand. George learned
something while he was backing
shoes. He learned about corns and
bunions. Half the people in the Unit
ed States have SINE enlargement Of
the big toe joint. A third of them
suffer miserably. George learned that
the way to a mans heart is as much
through his foot as through his stom-
ach.
The anatomy Of the Imam foot is
a standard course for Georges clerks.
He brings them all sorts of strange
feet, hired for the occasion, to prac-
tice on. He demands for his custom
ers shoe that looks like = fit, that is
fit. Il don't want a man every time
he walks a block to swear and say,
%, those blamed shoes!' and think Of
me. I want to sive my customers fits
not fits" George is really a moral in
-AuSAASS' no saves Lie human race, or
a part of it, from much evil passion.
He deserves a laurel crown But he is
satisfied with bunch of laurel in his
pocketbook. ..
Tact Necessary to Success.
Tact is dealing with women Gus
toners is another of Georges hob
HES. Women are susceptible to that
sort of thing. A man will stick on
despite a bungling clerk if he thinks
he is going to get a good shoe. But
woman gets all filled up with mil
lions for self-defense but not one cent
for a cheeky salesman and flies out
Of the store. s.g
George had tact wished on him
while he was a shoe clerk. A steady
sustomeE had daughter-a sweet