Imperial Valley press., 1941-11-02
We've an idea ......

We've an idea ......
-. that tonight, when the last shopper
had gone from our grocery store, when
the keys were clinking idly in the locked
front doors ......
:.....: we'd go into the back room, put
our tired hands on our hips =. and start
a controversy with ourself.
We'd ask us uby we weren't doing ten.
tuenty percent more? We'd point OUT TO us
that ten times that many shoppers walked
by our doors every day. We'd ask us b0W
come Cat the end of a shopping day. there
wasn't more disarray among the cookies
and waters; bo1V come the tins and jars of
vegetables and soups and condiments on
our shelves still showed high count; boW
come the soaps and flakes and powders
still stood (at the end of shopping days)
in tall piles and bead hgb. We'd want to
know the reason why the cash register
zinnnging didn't bother us more than we
could stand .......
.... and before the hour was
gone we'd have this answer (.
..... that people, shoppers, buyers had
other ideas of where they wanted to buy
their groceries =. and the ten or twenty
percent more customers that ne had TO
bare were buying ofbertrberes =. probably
within a block or SO of US.
-. bHyine from the stores and the men
that they knoaV better than they know us;
and beIierea in more than they believed
in us; and liked more than they liked us.
Tbafs where they buy everything they bHy'
They nerer stray into stores strange TO
them. They especially reserve their Pur-
ChaSeS of food and meats for the men and
The brands in whom and in which they
have implicit faith.
So, if it's vbat shoppers think that governs
what and where shoppers buy we'd
determine TO make them think good Of us.
We'd set our sails to make them knoiP
and like and beiiere in US. We'd give them
so many reasons for their friendly belief
there'd never be question in minds where
they would go when they'd start out to
shop.
We'd find bargains for them; make certain
that those bargains were all A grade.
We'd keep things clean. We'd keep things
convenient to feminine hands, easy 70
select, easy to reach. We'd find the finest,
pleasantest attendants in the city. We'd
make our store attractive, modern, smart.
Then, we'd ADVERTISE 80.
go. in THIS newspaper ...::
-. doggedly, persistently, regularly.
....... to make folks like and beLiere in
us; to seat con1ictions in their minds of our
integrity; TO win unquestioning prefer
ences for coming or Phoning or sending
TO oHr store for their groceries.
In our advertising =. we'd list our stan
dard offerings in The usual uar. name
prices, indicate specials. bargains =.
but. we'd so farther:
We'd fill a column in our ads (something
like this column in ibis ADJ or we'd use
paragraphs in spots TO make Sugges-
tions to shoppers about strange foods,
about seasonal items, new ways to pre-
pare old dishes; we'd even give them
recipes regularly; we'd do menus for
them for one, for two, four, six or more
people for lunCheons, bridges, parties,
dinners, breakfasts, buifets; we d tell them
ways to get neW tastes and appetizing
havors and fragrant fragranCeS; we'd tell
about diets for fat people, thin people, for
people in Sedentary occupations, for
children in school, for romping, racing
children, for workers, for undernour-
ished folk; we'd tell just how TO combine
fats and proteins and carbohydrates
..... we'd admit that getting ready to
sell groceries was JUST A HALF of our
business :. and that the OTHER HALF
was making people LIKE and BELIEVE
in us without a thought TO the contrary
=. and we'd complete that necessary final
HALF uifb adrertiTng in ibis newspaper.
..... if WE were a GROCER in THIS
mans town.