Evening star., 1941-11-01
We've m idea ...::..

We We 0u BVtc0 . Q Q Q
80. 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 ourseH.
We'd ask US Uby we weren't doing teu
twenty percent more? We'd point out to US
that ten times that many shoppers walked
by our doors every day. We'd ask us boU
come (at the end of a shopping day. there
wasn't more disarray among the cookies
and'wafers; boW come the tins and Jars Of
vegetables and soups and condiments on
our shelves still showed high count; bow
come the soaps and fakes and powders
still stood (at the end of shopping davs)
in tall piles and head bieb. 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 We had to
bare were buying otberuberes. . probably
within block or SO of US.
..... buying from the stores and the men
that they knotO better than they know us;
and beIieted tn more than they believed
in US; and liked more than they liked u.s.
Ibafs where they buy epe,yfbing they bxy,
They neper 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 ubat shoppers think that governs
what and where shoppers buy :. we'd
dfterwfne to make them think good Of US.
We'd set our sails to make them ksow
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.
Wed keep things clean. We'd keep things
convenient to feminine hands, easy to
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.
So. in THIS newspaper ::::
$3.50. doggedly, persistentIy, regularly.
.:.:.. to make folks like and believe in
us; to seat convictions in their minds of our
integrity; to win unquestioning prefer
tnees for coming or phoning or sending
to orr store for their groceries,
In our advertising -. we'd list our stan
dard offerings in The usual way, name
prices, indicate specials, bargains go.
But. we'd 70 farther:
Wed fill column in our ads (somethine
like this column in this ad) 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.
breakfasts, bullets; we d tell them
ways to get sea- tastes and appetizinx
6avors and fragrant fragrances; we'd tefl
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 Pfoteins and carbohydrates :.
we'd admit that getting ready to
.eA groceries was JUST A HALF of our
business . and that the OTHER HALF
vas making people LIKE and BELIEVE
IN rs without thought to the contrary
and we'd complete that necessary final
HALF Vitb advertising in this newspaper.
-. :. if WE were a GROCER ia THIS
Aaa's town.