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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
9
DETROIT AROUSED OVER QUESTIONABLE ADVERTISING.
Cut-Rate Advertisers Are Becoming a Menace to the Legitimate Piano Houses—Business Con-
tinues Good, and Many Visitors Liven Local Trade—New Store for Bayley.
(Special to The Review.)
DETROIT, MICH., February 8.—A prominent piano
newspapers should refuse to accept such advertising.
If the newspapers don't take the time to investigate
dealer, who does business strictly on the one-price the advertising they accept, they are just as much
system, said to The Review representative: "I wish to blame as the advertiser, because they are acting
something could be done by the Detroit Music as a party to such misrepresentation. It is time
Trades Association to bring pressure to bear upon something was done. Because the legitimate piano
the publishers of daily newspapers to use just a lit- advertisers sit back and do nothing, the cut-rate
tle bit of discretion in the kind of piano advertising firms are getting bolder every day in their adver-
they accept. In no line of business is there such tising and their business methods. I don't say this
opportunity for deception, or is there such misrepresentative advertising hurts the high-class
deception, as in the piano business. At the piano stores, but it does demoralize the piano busi-
present time Detroit is saturated with concerns ness and it tends to lessen the confidence that the
which make no pretense of doing business along public has in all piano advertising."
legitimate lines. They say anything in their ad-
W. H. Beach, treasurer and general manager of
vertising that might bring people to their stores, the Bush & Lane Piano Co., is expected in Detroit
no matter how ridiculous it sounds to other piano during the current week. Manager C. W. Cross, of
dealers, who know that such advertising is mislead- the local branch, reports a fine January business.
ing. It's disgraceful the way some of these firms
Mr. Burns, of Burns Bros., scarf manufacturers,
talk about cut prices, because investigation has was in Detroit this week. He recently returned
proved that they are not cut prices. Now, I believe from Europe, and his stories of conditions on the
in reduced prices at certain times of the year—I ether side indicate that the war is even worse than
mean legitimate cut prices—but there is a great the American newspapers report. In fact, he said
difference between legitimate price cutting and de- that the Americans have no real conception of the
liberate misrepresentation. And that's what we're war and its horrors. Mr. Burns brought back with
up against to-day in the city of Detroit.
him a large quantity of dyes, and also arranged for
"For a long while local conditions have been very a plant in Scotland to make cluny lace.
satisfactory, but within the past year there has been
Charles S. Frain, with the Detroit store of the
a change for the worse, and I don't believe there is Bush & Lane Piano Co., recently visited the factory
a town in the country where there is so much ex- at Grand Haven for the purpose of studying the im-
aggeration in advertising as in this city. For my provements on the Cecilian players and the full line.
own satisfaction, I dropped into a certain cut-rate Mr. Frain had a big year in 1915, his sales running
piano store which advertises that it can undersell \,ay beyond his own expectations. He had an ex-
everybody else by 30 and 40 per cent., and acted as cellent January business, and says that 1916 will be
a prospective purchaser. To be brief in telling you the best of all.
of my experience there, I have never, in all the
Weil & Co., Detroit, announce a February piano
years of my connection with the piano industry, run sale, featuring the Orpheus player-piano at $350.
across such dishonest selling methods, so many mis- This store charges no interest. In its advertising
statements, so much downright knocking, as at this announcement is made: "We are agents for Cable
store. It beat anything I ever saw or heard about & Sons and Behr Bros, players and pianos."
ir Instead of being affiliated with this business, the
Charles Stanley, Jr., formerly in business for him-
salesman should be locked up."
self in the University Building, is now connected as
Another retailer, in commenting upon the amount salesman with the P. A. Starck Piano Co., Wood-
of cut-rate piano advertising appearing in the local ward and Grand Circus Park. His father, Charles
newspapers, said: "The piano dealers of this coun- Stanley, Sr., is in the Starck factory in Chicago.
try should take steps immediately to prosecute
A. E. Trebilcock, of the Detroit Music Co., De-
fraudulent piano advertising. In every town there troit, says: "Our January business was better than
should be a local committee, and when cut-rate a year ago. We are getting a better class of cus-
piano concerns advertise that they can sell pianos tomers every day. We also notice that we are get-
30 to 40 per cent, under their competitors, and that ting larger cash payments and larger monthly pay-
they do it, then they should either make good or the ments, which is a good sign that Detroit is pros-
perous."
• P. K. Clark, of the Kroeger Piano Co.; C. F.
Waugh, of the Biddle Piano t Co.; George M. Soule
of De Rivas & Harris, of New York; J. T. Say-
ward, of Chickering & Sons, were visitors here
during the past week.
Frank Bayley, of Witherell street, expects to
move not later than May 1 to a temporary location.
It is practically settled upon that he will have a
store in the new building to be erected on the same
site.
E. P. Andrew, of the J. L. Hudson Co., says that
the first four days of February were exceedingly
quiet—the entire sales of the four days amounting
to one average good day—but that on Saturday, the
fifth day, business "poured in" and made up for
the four poor days. "It came faster than we could
handle it for a while," said Mr. Andrew. "Sales
seemed to be easy and all of the boys were busy
the entire day writing new contracts."
The A. B. Smith Piano Co., 14 East Elizabeth
street, Detroit, is offering grand prizes* for the
solving of a Father Time puzzle, the puzzle being to
locate ten hidden faces in a large pencil sketch of
an old man's head. Any person with the least in-
telligence who will use his or her eyes will have no
difficulty in locating the ten hidden faces. There
are ten grand prizes, including a piano, two dia-
MONEY MAKERS FOR THE DEALER
mond rings, two gold watches, a la valliere, a chest
of silver, vanity case and fancy scarf pin.
Smith,
Barnes
and
Strohber
Company
CHICAGO
Over 145,000 Pianos
in American Homes and
All Giving Satisfaction
Writ* 'for Catalogues and Prices
Smith, Barnes & Strohber Go.
1873 Clybourn A W I I M
CHICAGO
Consult the universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions
of any kind.
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