The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-12-02
Don't Be Sonto
To Credit GOugers

for lot Of extra money when they
go to buy gifts. They haven't got
the cash so they buy on credit
When they do, they let themselves
in for double squeeze play:
Not only are prices Of gift.
/ type goods higher at Christmas
than any other time Of the year
But the instaIlment stores thai
every Christmas plug the idea oi
buying presents on credit, charge
highest prices Of all for many gift
items.
Besides the excessively high
price tags on gifts bought on in
stallments, the charge for the
credit itself mounts up faster thar
you think.
One union printer learned last
Christmas how stores that sell
chiefly on credit overcharge fol-
gifts. This mans son went out to
buy his girl a diamond ring fol
Christmas. He found one with q
nice big stone at a certain New
York credit jewelry store. The
price was $240. But the salesman
assured the boy he could pay it of
$3.50 a week-for two years.
The boy decided he could handle
$3.50 a week all right. But when
he got home, his dad, seasoned
trade unionist, was cagy enough to
have the ring appraised by
neighborhood jeweler The ring
turned out to be worth just $3.50.
They had the devils own time
making the credit store take it
back, since the store already had
the boys signature on a contract.
They finally did, but only after the
father threatened to call the Bet
ter Business Bureau, the news
papers and the mayor.
One Of the most shameful gouges
some credit stores perpetrate upon
working people is to hoodwink
them into unwittingly signing con-
tracts. In one case of which this
writer knows, the store each Christ
mas would send it's statesmen out
to nearby factories and docks,
carrying watches and jewelry with
him. The statesmen persuaded wage
earners to take watches home on
and asked them just to
sign a paper which they said was
a receipt"
But later when the men tried to
return the watches, they found that
those receipts were actually bills of
sale complete with wage gamishee
clauses. Either they had to pay for
those watches, or the jewelry firm
would go to the boss and collect
the debt out of their wages.
Best way to avoid fixes like that
this Christmas is to save. up the
cash beforehand for the gifts you
want to buy, and shop around in
cash stores for the lowest prices.
Cash saves you a lot more money
in the long run, both in the price
Of the article and the credit fees,
even though it may be painful to
part with a lump of it at one time.
If you need to buy a big-ticket
TEN like a watch, washing machine
Or electric train set, and haven't
got the cash:
TRY arranging a charge ac-
count at the store where you plan
% buy it. Many department stores
extend charge-account credit with
lew service fees. You can have up
% go days to accumulate the cash
% pay your bill. But make sure the
store has low price on the item
you want; don't buy it there just
because they'll let you charge it.
2-If the charge-account method
Won't work out for you, your best
yet is to borrow the cash from the
redit union in your plant or shop,
md then shop the cash stores. No
redit union? Next best bet is to
ecure loan from a commercial
a small-loan company,
nd then shop with the cash. Most |
egular banks these days make
nonthly-payment loans to employ
d persons generally without any
designers or collateral, and their
harges for such loans are fire.
uently only one-third of the fees
xacted by small-loan companies.
3-One reasonable way to get
redit for Christmas gifts is the
shopping coupons" sold by some
apartment stores. You buy a book
f these coupons in amounts from
25 to $50 and spend them like cash
4 the store. Then you have six
,onths to pay for the book. Service
ates for such books vary; charge
f $1.50 for a $50 coupon book is
easonable. Again-also make sure
ne store is low-priced on the item
self.
4-If you want to buy appliances,
lere are few stores-only a few
that now make no credit charge
t all for these items. But watch
ut. There are many more stores
lat claim to make no charge but
,tually add an extra fee on to the
rice of the merchandise itself.
here's one big mid West clothing
ore that advertises you can buy
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