The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-11
TRICKS OF TRADE
ARE STOCK gags
Carefully Thought Out to Meet Com
plants of Customers-Are by
No Means Spontaneous
From Tit Bits.

rom lit DIS.
The shopman has his gags" no less
than the comedian-that, is to say. he is
given to the habit of carefully thinking
out some little phrase or sentence that he
lets off, in such a way as to make you
think that il is a spontaneous remark.
Only his object is not to make you laugh,
but to dispose Of any objecuon you may
have made to his goods.
The butcher, for example, has constant
y to face the objection that a piece Of
meat he sold a few days ago proved
tough eating. IL is not likely that he is
going to be taken unaWares by such Il
regular complaint as this. If you are in
the habit of insisting that your meat be
fresh he simply attributes it tactfully to
this little pecuiarity of yours, adding that
he could easily have sold you more ten
der piece that had been hung But this
won't work always.
Did you cook IL in a slow oven?' he
Will sometimes ask. If you say that YOU
did he will point out that that was just
the wrong way to treat the special kind
of meat he always takes care to serve
you with. IL you say that you dld not
he will probably reverse the patter
Moreover. if you are young housewife
he will as likely as not advise you to tell
your cook to do something or other. He
may know perfectly we'll that you can't
afford a cook But this judicious piece
of hattery will mollify the average COM
plainant, especially If there are other Gus
toners in the shop. 1t is a stock gag.
If a lady buys q pair of shoes with
which, after a few days wear, she be-
comes dissatisfied. the wise boot maker
viii admit that the fit is not perfect but
will add
Pardon my saying 50, madam, but you
have rather exceptional foot. The IN
step is distinctly more arched than the
usual. You ought really to have your
shoes specially made"
Few women will try to prove that they
have not got pretty foot. This gag rare
ly fails.
The drapery trade lends itself most
/ easily to such innocent decept1ons-and II
is a more OF less innocent deception, be-
cause its object is, in nine cases out or
10, merely omalle customer SATISFIED
with the purchase, and not to effect sale
| by false description of the goods.
| As is well known. some drapers stu
resort to the practice of secret marking.
The goods are marked In a code that
the staff understands. Below this price
| the article may not be sold but II the
assistant can obtain higher price he or
she is entitled to a commission thereon.
In the case of lines such as umbrellas,
! furs mantles and so on the difference
| in the two prices may we'll run INTO sew
eral shilings.
| Now the public is constantly "spottlng'
! this little dodge dhat is why most hisner
class diapers have discontinued III, pe-
cause friend of a customer may pur-
chase the same article at lower price.
/ The two will compare notes, ana the
original customer will want to know
why she has been overcharsed.
/ Most frequently she will think to trap
| the assistant by simply asking What is
| the proper price for the article
| He names a higher price than the mini
mum. 1t may be higher than she mas
actually paid, but that only makes her
! think that she has got a bargain by ms
/ take by the time the crafty assistant mas
| finished with her
/ but my friend bought exactly the
s9'ue article at 3 shillings cheaper she
will say.
Pardon me. madam. not exactiv the
| same could have sold you muir
Very like that for so much,' naming the
! minimum.
! He then produces number OF the
muffs. all exactly the same, and points
to some very nebulous defects In one or
another to account for the difference IN
price. The defects may even be genuine,
| but he does not explain that they are
common TO all
! There is nothing strictly dishonest IN
| this. The tradesman Is entitled 10 ASK
what he likes for his own goods aho--
! the customer departs IN satisfaction.