Music Trade Review

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6
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
FEBRUARY 21, 1925
Have You Slow Moving Radio Stock?
If You Have, Here Are Some Methods Which Retail Music Merchants Have Found Efficient in Meeting
Such a Situation—Making Up Combinations Which Meet the Eye of the Purchaser—But the
Real Remedy for the Entire Situation Is to Be Careful in Your Buying
T
H E average music merchant has in stock
several types of radio merchandise which
are slow moving. This was shown re-
cently by talks with more than fifty merchants
within the confines of the metropolitan districts
surrounding New York City. One merchant
stated that with the exception of four models
of radio receivers, the rest would have consti-
tuted a very pretty radio show had he not in-
stituted a drive to dispose of them.
At the end of the Christmas business the
F. L. Steers Music Shop decided that some of
the less popular merchandise on hand would
have to be moved to make room for the newer
stock which was coming in. Therefore the
more popular models were moved to one of the
rear demonstrating rooms, all connected in case
the customer insisted on their purchase, and
the other models were placed in the more promi-
nent positions. Mailing lists were then utilized
for the publicity of the other models, and the
salesmen were told to forget the easy sellers
and to sell the slower moving receivers.
Reports from all quarters show that radio
is still selling itself, and naturally the most
nationally advertised receivers are selling the
best. The rest of the merchandise, although it
has merit and can be sold, has not been paid
the proper attention that it should by the mer-
chants. It has been stated by many merchants
that there are just about seven makes of re-
ceivers that are really selling to-day. This _
means that there are just seven names that the
public associate with radio and which they think
of when they buy.
For the music merchant who has really a well-
stocked radio department, this means that if his
salesmen are just taking orders for radio mer-
chandise there is a lot of good stock which will
have to be discounted at the end of the fiscal
year, or else sold at a small profit. Radio mer-
chandise, when properly handled, is a fast mov-
ing stock, but it all depends upon the effort
placed in its selling as- to just what sells.
Neutrodyne Lines
Take the numerous neutrodyne lines. Of the
many that exist, it is pretty sure that the mer-
chant has at least three or four. Out of these
four if only one or two move, it means that
while the other two are good receivers, the
salesmen are letting slip the opportunity to
introduce them. The process would be correct
if it were possible to sell the same merchandise
next year that is on hand at the present time,
but as the styles change so does the public's
fancy.
An idea that can be utilized to move this slow
stock would be to specialize on one model of
each of the slower moving types for a week at
a time, and instruct the salesmen to exert all
their efforts to sell these receivers. Special win-
dow displays in which the more popular re-
ceivers are not shown and which emphasize the
advantages of the displayed receivers, coupled
with extensive mail campaigns and the com-
bined efforts on the part of the inside and out-
side salesmen, should move these receivers in
short order.
Lower-priced Accessories
One of the large merchandising houses in
New York, carrying a line of radio receivers,
utilizes these "special weeks" to move stock,
making to all intents and purposes a sale out
of the merchandise, but in reality equipping the
receivers with less expensive accessories, and,
therefore, bringing down the purchase price
under that which is generally quoted.
This can be done by selling a cheaper grade
of storage battery, cheaper B batteries and
cheaper loud speakers, and at the same time
the quality of the receiver as a unit will be
upheld. It should be remembered that while a
storage battery selling for around $30 will last
around three years, one at half or less than
half that price can be merchandised in these
cases, and the year's guarantee will still be valid,
as in most cases these batteries will stand up
very well for that length of time.
The salesmen should be told that when sell-
ing this merchandise they are working without
the aid given by the publicity and advertising
which the receivers that are in demand have
been given, and it therefore depends upon them
to produce the sales. Disregard the easy selling
receivers, concentrate on the other merchandise
and move it before the new season and the
newer models come in, otherwise a stock of
heterogeneous receivers will be in dead storage
for good.
The merchant should know from his experi-
ence in the past just what can be sold with
the least effort, and most naturally the sales-
men are tempted to consider these lines first be-
cause of the consequent quicker turnover. So
considering that fact, during the special weeks,
it would perhaps be a good plan to place a
premium on the slow merchandise, awarding a
small extra amount to the salesman who dis-
poses of the most of it.
Terms in Such Sales
When these receivers are to be sold on the
time-payment basis always attempt to get the
shortest time with the greatest down payment
possible, as it is always a chance that due to
the fact that the retailers find the merchandise
going slow, some large retail outlet will obtain
a stock of them and dispose of them at a lower
price than the merchant could himself sell them.
In that case, of course, the merchant would
find that he would be called upon by persons
who had purchased the receivers and who de-
sired refunds. If a larger down payment is
obtained and the payments made within a period
of six months, the entire set can be paid up
before such a thing happens.
The merchant will find after introducing some
of this lesser known merchandise in his par-
ticular field that it will become known through
its owners talking about the receivers to their
friends, and that he will thereby create his own
market for the receivers in that fashion. This
will give his salesmen a broader field to work
in and increase the profits of the radio depart-
ment. There is many a good receiver in a music
merchant's storeroom, which, due to the fact
that no one knows about it or has not been told
about it, has failed to move as it should. As
the manufacturers will not co-operate enough
to make a field for it, it lies in the hands of
the merchant to introduce it in his own field, by
means of his own publicity and salesmen.
But the entire remedy for this problem is to
exercise more care in buying, to link up with
real name value and to lower selling expense
by retailing goods that have the least selling
resistance. Then the ameliorations, which are
suggested in this article, will not be needed
since the situation itself will not exist.
Wunderlich Rearranges
Radio Demonstration Room
graph department of Wunderlich's, and Miss
Florence Robbins, of the piano department, par-
ticipated in the program and received local and
out-of-town praise for their parts. The second
half of the program was kept secret until the
night of the broadcasting. It developed that
this half of the program was conducted by the
secret committee of the Triangle Club and con-
sisted of stunts, a song parody on local high
lights which went over big, orchestra, vocal
solos and jazz numbers. Other programs will
follow of a quality equal to the prestige of the
Wunderlich standards, the programs to he
broadcasting in monthly or semi-monthly in-
tervals. Brunswick Radiolas are selling with an
excellent emphasis on the better models.
Uses Space on First Floor to Gain Immediate
Attention of the Customers Entering the
Store
KANSAS CITY, MO., February 17.—Wunderlich's
radio department has branched out to include
a special demonstration room on the first floor
of the store. This arrangement has been made
for the purpose of handling the customer when
he is entering the store. B. F. McNeil, of
Wunderlich's, said: "We advertise to get people
to come into the store, and by having the dis-
play room as near the entrance as possible we
keep them in the store. Because a customer
is likely to feel that a trip to an upper floor
will absorb too much time, the first-floor dem-
onstration room answers this problem, the
salesman being able to arouse interest through
the immediate and rapid contact with the cus-
tomer. When interest in the Radiolas is thor-
oughly established in the display room the cus-
tomer gladly responds to the invitation to go
to the Radio Studio on the fourth floor and
hear the program being broadcasted at the time,
either for the program itself, or to demonstrate
the tone and quality of an individual instru-
ment that the customer may have shown pref-
erence for. This arrangement has proven suc-
cessful and its success has anticipated radio
patrons where otherwise they would not have
time nor the desire to bother to go upstairs for
a demonstration."
Wunderlich's broadcasted a program on Feb-
ruary 11 through the Kansas City Star broad-
casting station. Complimentary telegrams and
long-distance telephone messages were received
from throughout the Central Southwest and
East. C. A. Williams, manager of the phono-
Radio Corp. Announces
New Retail Prices
Radiola III-A, Regenoflex X, Super-Hetero-
dyne, Loudspeaker and Radiotrons Among
Products Newly Priced
The Radio Corp. of America, manufacturer
of the Radiola line of radio receivers, announces
the following new retail prices on several
models of its radio apparatus: Radiola III-'A
complete with 4 radiotrons and loud speaker,
$83; Radiola Regenoflex, without radiotrons or
speaker, $90; Radiola Regenoflex complete with
4 WD-11 radiotrons and UZ-1325 Radiola loud-
speaker, $120; Radiola X complete with 4 WD-
11 radiotrons, $150; Radiola Super-Heterodyne
complete with 6 UV-199 radiotrons and UZ-
1325 loudspeaker, $256; Radiola UZ-1325 loud-
speaker, $18; all receiving radiotrons, $3.
All other Radiolas and accessories remain at
the old list prices, there being no reduction.
The reduction on the apparatus listed above
was made possible by the great demand.