Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-10-22
ST, 900 WORTH
OF FLASHLIGHTS
IN SINGLE ORDER

, The Merchants National Hardwar
: Journal of Des Moines, Iowa, has thi
, lacy sketch of one of St. Johnsbury
: liveliest mercantile establishments.
Electrical goods are good seller
in all hardware stores, but The Pee
Company, hardware dealers in 81
Johnsbury, has built up business il
tlashlight that has some "highlights,
all it's own. Mr.. c. 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 o
the best in the store.
There are two seasons in the flash
light game, according to MI. Peck
who has made Vermont farmers buy
flashlights until they wouldn't have
fven LIGHTNING bug on the place
One is the summer season, wher
tourists are thick in st. Johnsbury OF
any other place, going to the noun
tains, and other pleasure places anc
the second OF real season is in Oct
cher when the dark days are COM
ing and the farmers need light, more
light.
Every October the Peck Company
nets about $1,000 worth of flashlights
and batteries. They keep the bat
lerics coming too. The battery sales
on flashlights are as important, &C.
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 phonograph business people Of
ten buy several records at time.
In the fashlight business they often
want to buy several batteries, but
the store won't let them. 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 customer buys one
battery, they come into The store for
i, and four batteries mean four diff
ierent trips to the store.
Once you get farmer or anyone
else started Oh flashlights, it is easy,
declares Mr.. Peck. Not long ago this
hardware dealer sold man dollar
light. In about three days he came
bacl, and said he had seen some three
dollar ones in the window. "You
did,, said Mr.. Peck, "but they are
zone now, and we will have some
more in exactly three days" In
exactly three days the man was in
and paid down his three dollars for
the new fiashlight. In very short
time he was back, and bought two
more dollar ones, and then a battery
Or two. Inside OF a week he had
bought about 81 worth of flashlights.
So Mr.. Peck inquired what he was
uoing with them all. Come to find
out this farmer had flashlights all
over the place, that he kept there,
just the same as you might have cleo
lric lights in various rooms in the
house. One was for use in the hay
NOW, another in the stable, and SO
I'll. In this way the flashlights were
all in use, yet each one was in its
pace. That gave Mr.. Peck an idea
and he introduced the subject of
quantity flashlights attractively dis
Dlayed bringing customers with ex-
client results.
The hardware store keeps its flash
i rhts attractively displayed in one
j. the cases near the door. Thirty
different varieties are in stock most
Of the time. There is everything fro.l
lie dainty, nickeled light made to re-
,cmble candle, to the big bulls eye
for watchmen OF policemen.
Batteries are also ordered frequently,
md in this way people keep coming
liter them after they have once pur-
biased, and of course there are 9th
~ things in a hardware store be-
sides flashlights.
Every once in a while this store
.uns al ad in the paper on flashlights
,fering some of the cheaper ones at
/ reduced price, to clean up. When
his happens they actually line up
i've and six deep at the counter to
get them. Flashlights always make
m attractive window trim and they
ire used to advantage in this hard
ware store. Special inducements are
'ffered to women to buy them. The
Jerks and proprietor in the store
peak of them when women come in
o buy something else. Incidentally,
we're is lot of nationals advertis-
ng being done of flashlights, which
nows uses to which they may be put
hat many people have not consider
Il. 1t is easy for this hardware store.
u for any other, to connect this with
heir other business. Peck's do it.
Flashlights were formerly an or
inary sideline in this store. Now
hey are a "main line" and are get
ing more and more important. Oct
her, when the "fall season" on
flashlights is on, is at hand. Peck