New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-17
| HAVE BEEN ARRESTED
WHY?

Ala. for rhetoc Virtue oozed of Mr. Hosman' noble
defiance before the In he didn't plead competitive
jealousy He pleaded guilty He paid his fine of SZ5 promised
reform and joined the Better Business Bureau
Credit must be given for gameness least, to s. Levitt
whose Fourth Department Store heavy and low grade
advertiser The Better Business Bureau caught Mr. Levitt
alleged be worth IS and made of real wool
orsted for 7c The socks WOOL but they also cot
ton-ore than wool Levitt fined SIS On the fol-
lowing day he with offer of the hosiery as
"35-cent Wool Mixed Heavy Socks, and added:
We Believe Only Truth in Advertising. Long Live the
AID Clubl
Which is graceful, if convincing
The this city is distinctly bad though
it improving One Of the hopeful signs movement strongly
supported by the AID Club toward the elimination of value claims
Two of department Roberts Brothers and Lpman
Wolfe Co., formally given Of the discontnuance of
all comparative price advertising The latter firm writes to the
AID Club query to the for this departure:
The merchant whose goods well bought ineigenty
selected and moderately priced has need of oversatng their
quality or to exaggerate their value The public no
longer influenced by bats catch-penny methods :.
Good needs BUSH and right merchandising needs moth
ing but the truth to recommend it.
Olds Workman & King, another large finn while making
public plan eliminate comparative prices except
special sales and all these honoraby standing the
principles the face of ludcrou claims by their compe
of whom goes far offer savings of from SO
100 per their clothing which, unless my arithmetic
fatally twisted getting your for nothing the
IRENE limit.
Thus far my Investigations have found the largest
city well above the the character of its adve
Using Portland exception Here the largest
the department of the Meier Frank Co.
example the 1t is peculiarly Of this esab
ishmen ccdby informed that it changes its advertising
manager with great frequency There would be logical
1t would be much ask of selfrespectng add
versng that he keep with the spurge Of silly and
ngless value claims which the settled policy
other where value advertising relied upon the
methods to be tricky in fact there a distinctly CHM
besh flavor about the shop On the day of arrival there
being advertised "A $25 Ink Stand Free every purchaser of
gross of pen points 1t is that, in sense the ink well
free though $25 valuation would represent profit of
considerably above 100 supeharge of SO per
above the price quoted another department store in an
other city, made the pen points
Elsewhere in Meier & Franks noticed a sign on an aisle
table setting forth that silk stockings be had there for 3
There qualification the quality condition Of
the stockings They looked amazingly cheap picked up pair
for examination and found glazing defect Not until then
did observe lettering the foot of the stocking Although
eyesigh unusually had great difficulty decipherng
the legend Sold Seconds Other stockings the stand were
more plainly stamped But of them even good
seconds And ir-dealng does not permit
its to risk of purchasing defective goods unwi
ng The pacard should have specified the quality of the goods
Again Meier & Frank advertising, while was in Port
land special sale of ST Is value Magic self wringng mons
at II Just what is special about it don't know unless
the added the normal retail price article
which would legitimate profit this type merchan
disc IS retail The s. Is value another
Cimbcized imagination.
Though suspicious these would not have been
conclusive mind regards the character the Meier
Frank establishment had learned that the Better Bust
Bureau has records Of unsatisfactory dealings with the
firm In accordance with the of claiming special
values for its merchandise the published an advertise
OF shirts unnamcd Good ST SO values only 81 cents
Had the shirts remained the might escaped
self betrayal but synronous advertisement of the same
goods they identified the Artistic brand One of the big
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