The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-10-21
l.
$1,000 WORTH
OF FLASHLIGHTS
IN SINGLE ORDER

Journal of Des Moines, Iowa, has thi
, racy sketch of one of st. Johnsbury'
liveliest mercantile establishments.
!, Electrical goods are good seller
in all hardware stores, but The Peel
Company, hardware dealers in st
Johnsbury, has built up business il
: flashlight that has some "highlights,
all it's own. MI. G. E. Peck, who i
the presiding genius of the company
, talked with the Journal edi-
torial representative, and told hin
some of the things that had helped
make this end of the business one OF
the best in the store.
There are two seasons in the flash
light game, according to Mr. Peck
VINO has made Vermont farmers buy
flashlights until they wouldn't have
even a lightning bug on the place.
One is the summer season, when
tourists are thick in st. Johnsbury or
any other place, going to the noun
tains, and other pleasure places and
the SECOND or real season is in Oct
ober when the dark days are COM
/ ing and the farmers need light, more
light.
Every October the Peck Company
gets about $1,000 worth of flashlights
and batteries. They keep the bat
teries coming too. The battery sales
on flashlights are as important, ac-
cording to Mr.. Peck, as the record
sales on "a photograph. You have
to- keep after them. But there is
one difference that is considerable. In
the photograph business people Of
ten buy several records at a time.
In the fashlight business they often
want to buy several batteries, but
the store won't letsthem. In the first
place, batteries won't keep if they are
bought in quantities of two or three
or more, and in the second place,
every time a customer buys one
battery, they come into the store TO
it, and four batteries mean four diff
fcrent trips to the store.
Once you get farmer OF anyone
else started on flashlights, it is easy.
declares Mr.. Peck, Not long ago this
hardware dealer sold a man dollal
light. In about three days he came
back and said he had seen some three
dollar ones in the window "You
did,, said Mr.. Peck, "but they are
gone now, and VIC will have some
more in exactly three days" Il |
exactly three days the man was il
and paid down his three dollars fol- |
the new fashlight. In very shor;
time he was back, and bought two
more dollar ones, and thea battery
or two Inside of week he had
bought about 81 worth of flashlights |
So Mr.. Peck inquired what he was
doing with them all. Come to fine |
out this farmer had flashlights al
over the place, that he kept there,
just the same as you might have elcc
trio lights in various rooms in the |
house. One was for use in the hay |
NOW, another in the stable, and Sc
on. In this way the flashlights wert
all in use, yet each one was in its
place. That gave Mr., Peck an idea
and he introduced the subject o.
quantity flashlights attractivcly dis
played bringing customers with eX-
celicnt results.
The hardware store keeps its flash
lights attractively displayed in one
Of the cases near the door. Thirty
different varieties are in stock most
Of the time. There is everything froa
he dainty, nickeled light made to re-
;emble candle, to the big bulls eye
suitable for watchmen or policemen
Batteries are also ordered free Iently,
md in this way people keep coming
after them after they have once pur
chased, and of course there are oth
II things in hardware store be-
sides flashlights.
Every once in while this store
'uns al ad in the paper on fashlight
offering some of the cheaper ones at
/ reduced price, to clean up. When
his happens they actually line ur
i've and six deep at the counter to
get them. Flashlights always make
III ulCldCllNc WlHuOW IIuI anu IIlcy |
ire used to advantage in this hard
ware store. Special inducements. are
offered to women to buy them. The
Jerks and proprietor in the store
peak of them when women come in
% buy something else. incidentally,
here is a lot of nationals advertis
ng being done of flashlights, which
shows uses to which they may be put
hat many people have not consider
ID. 1t is easy for this hardware store,
IL for any other to connect this with
heir other business. Peck's do it.
Flashlights were formerly an or
binary sideline in this store. Now
hey are "main line" and are get
ing more and more important. Oct
obcr, when the "fall season" on
flashlights is on, is at hand, Peck
ire prepared for it, along with their