Music Trade Review

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Musical Merchandise
Published by The Music Trade Review, 383 Madison Avenue, New York
Buttelman
Offers a Few More Good
Merchandising Ideas
Finds a Wide Difference in Stand-
ards of Service Afforded by Stores
Dealing in Musical Merchandise
Second of a Series of Articles by
C. V. BUTTELMAN
C. V. Buttelman
C
ONTRASTING with experiences just re-
counted, I can relate many much more
happy ones. For instance: Father and
son visited a store in Chicago "to get a little in-
formation to talk over." During most hours of
the day, teachers connected with the staff of
the store are on hand giving lessons to pupils
who have bought instruments in this store. In
this case, as in the former instance cited, there
was some doubt in the father's mind as to the
proper instrument for Sonny to take up, and
the boy's attention had not yet been strongly
attracted by any particular instrument. Several
instruments were discussed and finally the boy
expressed a wish to hear what they "sounded
like." The salesman warmed up a trumpet and
a trombone—and that was enough. Sonny was
fascinated by the slide trombone. Whether it
was the tone of the instrument or- the glide
and sweep of the slide I do not know. The
salesman immediately put the instrument in the
hands of the youngster and again I knew that
a sale was made, as far as Sonny was concerned.
Making the Sale
The first thing the salesman did was to take
Sonny and the trombone to one of the wind-
instrument teachers, and in ten minutes time,
with a few simple instructions from the teacher,
Sonny was able to blow a tone or two on the
trombone. Sonny was delighted and Father was
convinced that Sonny could learn to play. There
had been no previous discussion of the trom-
bone, mind you, but conversation with the sales-
man, interview with the teacher, satisfactory
demonstration, and a mere taste of the first
lesson closed the deal. Before they left the
store Sonny had taken his first short lesson
and had an appointment for another lesson the
next day.
Of course I should be able to tell you that
Sonny learned to play a trombone and be-
came an accomplished musician. I don't know
whether this is true or not, but I do know
that nine out of ten of the people who pur-
chase instruments in that store do learn to
play, and whether or not they take up music
as a profession, they do acquire satisfactory
proficiency in the performance of music so that
they secure what every instrument buyer seeks,
i.e., a musical experience.
This Actually Happened!
Some of the things that have happened in
stores not entirely free from the inherited in-
fluence of Dan Andrews are almost too
ludicrous to be true. Picture the feelings of a
man who drove in from the country some fif-
teen miles, and among other errands entrusted
him by the family, went to the music store and
bought what he thought was a harmonica, only
to arrive at his home to find, to the great dis-
gust of his son, that he had been sold a Jew's
harp by the zealous but misinformed sheet-
music clerk who waited on him!
It sounds almost impossible, yet I was told
Best Thing of Its Kind!
Bridgeport, Conn., Sept. 14, 1926
The Music Trade Review:
Enclosed you will find check for $3 for
two years' subscription to The Music Trade
Review, and 1 want to say that 1 don't see
how any music store can be without it.
The sales talks and hints are worth dou-
ble the price of it and the extra Musical
Merchandise Section once a month is the
best thing of its kind 1 have ever seen,
especially for a store like ours where we
specialize on the band and orchestra in-
struments and supplies.
We are getting ready for a busy season
in our newly remodeled Arcade.
With
every good wish for your deserved success,
we remain
Very truly yours,
BAYERS' ARCADE MUSIC SHOP,
Fred. W. Bayers, Prop.
by a clerk in a store in the same vicinity that
there was "very little difference between a
zither and a harpsichord." In another store not
a thousand miles away from Boston a clerk
got all mixed up in his discussion of A and
B-flat clarinets which he confused with high
pitch and low pitch instruments.
Another music store received a returned par-
cel-post package containing a bass viol string
with a scathing letter requesting "the clerk who
filled my order to find out the difference
between a clothesline rope and a 'cello A
string."
These, you will say, are minor items. But
please remember that the same people who
make these mistakes are also likely to be en-
trusted with customers who wish to purchase
costly instruments. Is it any wonder that the
sales totals in stores with such employes are
not always entirely satisfactory?
Perhaps you will say that the stores where
such service is typical are few and far between.
I hope so. Perhaps every dealer who reads
this article can answer for himself and his store.
If he cannot, it might be worth while for the
proprietor to disguise himself as a customer and
find out what is going on in his small goods
department. Or perhaps a printed question-
naire presented to each of the salespeople in
the department will be enlightening. Following
is a list of such questions used by one dealer:
(1)—What are the names of the instruments
of the violin family?
(2)—What is the difference between a tuba
and a euphonium?
(3)—What is the meaning of the expression
"transposing instruments"?
(4)—What is a mandola?
(5)—Can a violin A string be used satisfac-
torily as a viola A?
(6)—What is the difference between a trumpet
and a cornet?
(7)—Can a trumpet mouthpiece be used for
a cornet?
(Continued on page 5)