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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JULY, 191*1
UR impression is that the piano pro-
duction, under present conditions,
will be pegged at about 160,000
instruments. If conditions change,
the pegging will be at 120,000, altho it
could be that on the latter, the volume of
money would be the same as on the 160,-
000. Confronted with a shortage of mater-
ials, the higher priced pianos will be made
and the lowest priced models discontinued.
O
URTHERMORE, many supply houses
are right now working at peak, and
and without a miracle, production
can't be increased. Two shifts are
practically impossible, due to shortage of
men of both managing and working calibres.
But little basic material used in pianos is of
value for defense work, and the bottle neck
is skilled labor. Turnover of labor is a pain
in the neck to supply houses, for it slows
down production while the new ones are
learning.So with retail sales at 100 of 1940;
piano factory shipments at 121%; supply
shipments at 121% altho orders are at 170%
. . . the industry is doing all right and shows
courage on the part of both dealers and mf rs.
to store up merchandise as sales insurance.
F
ELIEVE I now have an explanation
for the many "piano rows" seen in
cities, and this is based upon a
study of piano selling methods of
department stores . . . A conclusion that indi-
cates a continuance of our solid piano sales
growth. Our advocacy of more department
stores handling pianos (not liked by some
dealers) is based upon the pure selling of
pianos, without the aura of the infinite, which
has for so many years been part of the retail
piano selling formula.
B
OT conscious of why, the assembly
of piano rows was done in self
defense of all for the securing of
store traffic. If 50 persons a day
hit piano row, and shopped about, the law
of averages would give each dealer a share
of this business, so the group activity, work-
ing individually, served to gain a respectable
volume of piano row traffic to the good of all.
In this work, there were many shifts of pro-
spects, due to the ingenuity of each dealer,
working on the usual routine of conversa-
tion. Department stores are generally locat-
ed far away from piano rows; they make
their own store traffic and catch a lot of piano
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sales on what is termed "impluse buying"
that wouldn't go to piano dealers.
ACY'S example of handling the
piano department is proof that
while we all have re-styled in-
struments; advertising; drive
late cars and use the latest type for setting
ads, the dealers' formula of selling remains
about the same and should be stream-lined
to cope with the new conditions. Macy piano
department is headed by a marTwho is a
skilled merchandiser, and to him, there is
nothing mystical about a piano, any more
than a yard of ribbon, a quart of scotch or
an electric toaster. Macy wants no advice
from its suppliers of pianos, nor does it want
the factory repts. talking to members of
their piano staff. Factory boys come in,
walk thru the department like any prospect
from Amityville, Dong Island, transacts his
business with the buyer, and walks out.
M
M
ORE dealers have shopped Macy's
piano dept. during the past year
(when it sold over 1,200 pianos)
and have to drink 2 double
scotches after leaving before getting over
the experience. "Salesman" might be a girl
or a man; interiew is courteous, but the sales
talk is brief, on the order that if one isn't
interested in pianos he wouldn't be there,
and if he isn't, Macy has no time for pre-
senting a lecture on the value of piano own-
ership. Pianos are marked plainly - even
the newspaper advertising is complete, with
down payment of 10
indicated, and it is
10;;, with no tradein or any'deviation from
the 10 . Terms are specific, cost of fin-
ancing is indicated. There is no turnover
system, and if the prospect doesn't buy, no
names are taken for follow-ups or letters, on
the basis that Macy is not compiling a direc-
tory of prospects, for a waste of time and
money chasing.
ACY relies on its store traffic for
its customers, doing alone what
the dealers of piano row have
been doing for years, but getting
thru the piano department, perhaps 100
times as many people as go into all the ware-
rooms on west 57th Street's piano row.
Dealers nurse a prospect thru the various
stages of sales development, and it is prob-
able that this is the reason for the high cost
of piano selling with dealers, and requiring
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