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THE MUSIC TRADE
12
REVIEW
NOVEMBER 2, 1918
PITTSBURGH READY
FOR HOLIDAY TRADE
Trade Will Be Limited Only by Ability of Piano
Men to Supply the Demand—High-Grade In-
struments Will Form Bulk of the Business—
Personals and News of the Week
The highest quality in material,
workmanship and finish in Bjur
Bros. Pianos has always been
rigidly maintained.
BJUR BROS. CO.
TERMINATION OF CAR STRIKE HELPS TRADE IN BUFFALO
Restoration of Normal Transportation Conditions and Increasing Wages Make Local Piano Men
Very Optimistic Over Future Business—How a Clever Dealer Closed a Hard Sale
BUFFALO, N. Y., October 28.—Buffalo's street
car strike, which lasted three weeks and caused
a loss of many thousand dollars in trade to the
downtown piano dealers and other merchants,
was settled Saturday afternoon. The strikers
will receive a wage scale awarded by the Wai-
Labor Board and as a result the local street
car company will add approximately $1,500,000
to its annual labor payroll. The downtown
stores were crowded with shoppers late Sat-
urday afternoon as soon as citizens learned that
they could use the cars. Trade at the piano
and talking machine stores promises to reach a
high speed this week.
Part of the extra money to be paid the street
car men will undoubtedly reach the local piano
stores. Extra trade for the piano merchants
is also in sight. The reason is that increases
in wages amounting to $7,000,000 a year for the
Curtiss Aeroplane Co.'s six plants in Buffalo
have just been approved by the War Labor
Board at Washington. Upward of 10,000 men
and women at work at the Curtiss plants will
•receive an advance in wages. All this good
news makes the piano dealers chuckle with op-
timism. They see nothing but prosperity ahead.
"To help keep the fountains of senitment
flowing music should be in every home these
trying days." This statement, which President
Wilson is said to have made to John McCor-
mack, was one of the arguments presented in
the "Used Piano Sale" being conducted by J. N.
Adam & Co. Another part of the opening an-
nouncement of the sale was couched in the fol-
lowing language: "How many times have you
said: "I want musical advantages for my chil-
dren but cannot afford them.' For this sale we
are offering opportunities in used pianos that no
one without a piano can afford to miss."
A Buffalo .piano merchant recently used a
somewhat novel way in going to the rescue of
one of his salesmen who was unable to clinch a
sale. The salesman, who had become discour-
aged, suggested that his boss go with him to
the home of the prospect and help to close the
deal, if possible.
"Too many cooks spoil the hash," remarked
the dealer, "and if I don't use tact in butting
into your business, the sale might slip away
from us. But here's a scheme. I will go to
the house as your chauffeur and in that way
will get into the, campaign without trouble."
This plan was tried. The salesman in com-
pany with his employer, who handled the car,
went to the home of the prospect. The dealer,
who was introduced in a perfunctory, half-
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hearted fashion, at first didn't pretend to dis-
play any interest in the transaction or show
any knowledge of the piano business. He oc-
casionally relieved the tension of the salesman's
efforts in trying to get a signed contract by re-
ferring briefly to general topics, such as the in-
fluenza epidemic.
To make a long story short, the piano mer-
chant watched his chance, broke into the trans-
action at the psychological moment and got
busy with his arguments just before his sales-
man was approaching another throwdown. The
teamwork proved a success and the deal was
closed without arousing the prospect's sus-
picion that something "had been put over." The
employer hadn't been introduced as a chauffeur,
but as he left the house two or three times at
the beginning of the interview to look at his
car the impression was easily given that he had
come solely in the capacity of an auto driver.
As no verbal deception had been used in ad-
vance to conceal the identity of the boss it was
not very difficult after the contract was signed
for the salesman to introduce his boss in the
latter's real capacity.
"My conscience is clear because we gave our
customer a 100 per cent, value for her money,"
said the piano dealer, in referring to the bit of
camouflage to the representative of The Review.
"If I had butted into the interview right away
the customer might have become sore at the
heavy pressure being brought to bear on the
transaction. Then she might have turned us
down for good. I waited until the right time
to throw my hat into ring and the light was
easily won."
HOLD BULK OF HONDURAS TRADE
The development of the United States trade
in musical instruments with South America is
indicated by the recent report of Consul A. J,
McConnico, at Corinto, Nicaragua, regarding
the imports of various goods into that coun-
try during 1917, the figures showing that the
total importation of musical
instruments
amounted to $13,633, of which $12,722 worth
came from the United States and $911 worth
from other countries. If this same average is
kept up after the war it will be all right.
The Sawkins Piano Co., Alma, Mich., have
found it necessary to rent the store adjoining
their present quarters to provide additional room
for handling their growing business in pianos,
player-pianos and talking machines.
PIANOS
E5TEY PIAND COMPANY - NEW YORK CITY-
PITTSBURCH, PA., October 28.—With the music
trade of Pittsburgh preparing for the holiday
business which is, on the face of present indi-
cations, to be governed only by the ability of
the various piano firms of this city to supply
the demand for pianos and player-pianos, there
is a marked feeling of optimism noticeable in the
trade. It is stated that what business will be
done will be for high-grade instruments and
practically all on a cash basis.
This novel as well as satisfying condition
of affairs is due to the fact that there is more
money being paid out in Pittsburgh for wages
and salaries than ever before in its history. It
is estimated that between now and Thanksgiving
Day over $8,000,000 will be disbursed to the
thousands of workers in the territory contigu-
ous to Pittsburgh, and all of these people do
their buying here and are good spenders.
C. J. Roberts, manager of the Chas. M. Stieff,
Inc., branch, is with the optimists and stated to
The Review representative that one of the out-
standing features of the holiday trade would be
the fact that more high-grade pianos would be
sold than ever before.
He pointed out that
high-grade instruments had only been advanced
in price moderately compared to the cheaper
lines of pianos that in pre-war times were sold
at fluctuating prices. This state of affairs en-
ables the high-grade dealer to compete in a suc-
cessful manner, as pianos that are consistently
advertised and kept before the public are now
sought by buyers. Mr. Roberts stated that the
demand for player-pianos the past week was
quite marked.
G. W. Watkins, manager of the piano sales
department of the W. F. Frederick Piano Co.,
stated that trade conditions were looking very
bright and that there was every indication that
the company would have a successful fall trade.
He intimated that the Christmas sales were
looming up large. During the past week Mr.
Watkins visited two branch stores of the Fred-
erick Co., one in Youngstown, O., under the
managership of H. R. Watkins, and one in New
Castle, Pa., which is under the direction of Mrs.
Mae Hall. Trade at both these branches was
stated to be very satisfactory.
The C. C. Mellor Co. and the S. Hamilton Co.
acting jointly have started an extensive adver-
tising campaign for the purpose of emphasiz-
ing the "Special Need of Music During War-
time." The initial move was made in a page
advertisement in one of the Pittsburgh Sunday
newspapers, using copy prepared by the Na-
tional Bureau for the Advancement of Music.
W. C. Dierks, general manager of the C. C.
Mellor Co., was confined to his room for sev-
eral days with a severe cold.
The Spanish inffuenza epidemic has prac-
tically wiped out all musical events, especially
those of a public or semi-public nature, owing
to the health board ban on public gatherings.
Burt Hengeveld, manager of the piano de-
partment of the S. Hamilton Co., returned from
a successful business trip to Youngstown, O.,
where he sold two Hamilton pianos to the First
Presbyterian Church there.
A. F. Price, of Price & Teeple, of Chicago,
was a caller on the trade here last week.
H. C. Kornbaugh, sales agent for the Artem-
po music rolls, was a Pittsburgh visitor.
Dawson Brothers report satisfactory sales
of the Emerson and Lindeman pianos. The
firm have been specializing in music rolls for
some time and say that the demand for them
continues very strong.
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