Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-26
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him any more and he was real upset.
See here, boy" he said. you chuct
up the real estate--dont start picking
swampy house lots--that amt no kind
OF job for feller like you. Come
right here with me and I'll give you
twenty-five bucks week and you'll
learn real mans trade
Still refused, of course, for having
gone so far. ! was going to see It
through, but feel bit uncomfortable
about the whole thing just the same.
Say. but was I the astonished kid
when ] got TO Beitman's: I couldn't
have believed such a change could have
taken place in week. Bruno Duke
had told Francis and me about the
plan he'd worked up for Beitman to sell
the bankrupt stock he'd bought at the
craftsmanship class las. Thursday-and
that reminds me. l must write down
what Jethro Jones. the instructor told
us. for it was bully good.
This is what happened in Beitman's
store. a rail had been fixed up the
center Of the store. right from the
vded the store into halves On the left
hand side-that's the side the coun-
ters are On--the store was left about
as usual. The fixtures. full OF grass
goods. locks and such like. made II
impossible to alter them for a sale.
The right-hand side was quite diff
ferent. though. The usual piles of
brushes, clothes baskets. enameled ware
and general house and kitchen goods
Ia nry-in. fni ay,l t,,
place rough counter about three
feet high and right up against the wall
ran the whole length OF the store.
This counter was divided into Sec
tions by cross pieces about eighteen
inches high and this made the counter
a series OF bins.
In each bin was n pile of goods, all
alike and all unwrapped. These goods
were the bankrupt stock. The first bin
was full OF glass mouse traps A big
sign over them read Usual price. Csc
self-heip price. lee" The next bin con-
tained backing brush which had a
hollow back filled with backing. which
by turning a knob was forced on TO the
brush. These were placarded Usual
price. 50c--self-help price, 22c." a
pile Of hammers marked Usual price
25c--self-help price. 11c"-and so on
right down the counter.
At the rear Of the store were clothes
baskets filed with goods ready to go into
the bins as soon as they were empty.
Each basket contained the unwrapped
article and a price card for il, 40 that
it was only minutes job TO fill up a
bin and get the sign UP.
The end Of all was marked, odds and
ends, sc each" Beitman explained that
when all but two or three arctices in
bin were sold they were put into the
odds and ends bin.
That isn't the whole scheme, though.
for between the dividing rail- and the
first bin was little swing gate. High
above it, say about feet inches from
the ground, was big sign which read:
ENTER HERE FOR THE
MAMMOTH SELF-SERVICE SALE"
great pile of market baskets just
outside the swing gate was labeled,
Take a basket with you and help your
SELF At the far end of the store, just
where people would leave the ''self-serv-
Ice store" as II was called. was a little
desk at which sat one Of the statesmen.
As people came out he checked up
what they had in the basket and gave
them a ticket like you get at Childss
with the amount OF goods punched out.
The customers then we're, of course,
opposite the end counter, where they
could have their goods wrapped up for
three cents or could buy the basket for
ten cents.
Az matter OF fact, during the eye-
ming ] noticed that most people bought
the baskets. We sCid hundreds of bas-
kets for a dime and know they only
cost seven and a half cents. Good
biz. eh?
Well. sir, that thing worked like a
charm There were thirty-sight bins
altogether and the way those East Side
bargain hunters grabbed those goods
would have made you laugh.
Among the goods was pile OF hair
restorer. above all things. and ! saw an
Italian woman with hair enough TO
stun mattress grab two bottles. !
guess because they were marked.
Usual price. s2-seif-heip price. 29c."
The gangway was just wide enough
for two persons to pass. Once inside
the ''self-help store" they had to 20 the
length of the store to get out. When
the crowd really began to come they
hustled the folks along 20 much that
people just grabbed whatever they saw
before they were pushed on to the next
bin,
| OiA Mas Reitmsn may be fat. slow to
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