Presto

PRESTO
EXIT OF THE PIANO
PRICE BARGAINER
Valuable Part of the Trade in Bringing About
Helpful Reforms in the Methods of
Making Sales of Music Goods
Is Related.
The piano trade ha& done its part and is continu-
ing to do its part in educating the buying public in
the merits of the one-price system of retailing. Many
retail piano houses devote a good part of their ad-
vertising to pointing out to the public the honesty
and safety of this method of pricing and selling
pianos and playerpianos. Owing to the consistent
repetition of their adherence to the plan by many
prominet piano houses, the public has become cau-
tious about dealing with a merchant who changes a
price once quoted.
But notwithstanding the obvious merits of the one-
price plan quite a few piano dealers prolonged their
use of the conveniently flexible figure on the price tag
of the piano or player. But in time many saw the
dangers of this hang-over from the earlier trading
waj's. When a dealer discovers that he "starts some-
thing" when he makes a special or whispered price,
he awakens to the commercial truth—that the one-
price system is the correct and modern way of re-
tailing pianos.
Dealers Were Pioneers.
The exchange editor on a piano trade paper has an
excellent opportunity of determining the extent of the
one-price system of selling pianos. A glance over a
pile of daily and weekly exchanges discovers the
display advertisements of the piano houses which
make the one-price system of retailing a prominent
feature in their service. Many of these houses
adopted the policy in sections where the one-price
method was the reverse of the one in vogue from
the beginning of things commercial. In preaching the
new belief they had to combat the habits handed
down from the old exchange and barter days.
In the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma territory
covered by the J. W. Jenkins Sons' Music Co., with
headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., the people joyed
in the bargaining contest at each purchase at the
time the widely known Southwest firm established
its inflexible one-price system of piano selling. The
ability to cut down the price of an article by bar-
gaining tactics is still a matter of pride with thou-
sands of shoppers in that section. It took courage to
establish the one-price system there and it took per-
sistence to uphold it and prove its merits to the in-
telligent people. Of course it is intelligent people
the piano dealers are after as the piano and player-
piano customer belongs in that classification. But
many inveterate bargainers are sufficiently intelligent
to realize the advantages of the one-price plan when
it is properly explained.
Proclaiming the Policy.
But the necessity for explaining continues to exist if
one may judge from the persistence with which prom-
inent piano houses proclaim their one-price policy. In
the opening of the new Muncie, Ind., branch of the
Pearson Piano Co., the big Indianapolis concern
thought well to proclaim that the store would be con-
ducted on a "One price to everybody" basis. "A
child can buy here at the same price as the shrewdest
buyer" was the assuring statement printed and pub-
lished in a broadcast manner.
SPECIAL INDUCEMENTS
INTERESTED CUSTOMERS
Greenville, S. C, Branch of Well Known Southern
House Follows Custom with Excellent Sales.
The success of the October sales by the Phillips &
Crew Piano Company's branch in Greenville, S. C ,
were due in a great measure to the special induce-
ments offered by the management. According to
an announcement made at the beginning of the
month a first cash payment of $50 and weekly pay-
ments of $5 were considered sufficiently large on
pianos of a certain price. The announcement of the
company explains the offer:
"According to our custom of arranging some at-
tractive offer in one of the departments of this store
each month we are making this announcement of
special terms on upright pianos in prices ranging
from $500 to $650. The prospective buyers of pianos
have found they could get a better quality piano at
less price here and many have expressed surprise at
the difference in prices found here and elsewhere..
This is reasonable to expect, as we have three large
stores (the Greenville store being the smallest) and
we pay the manufacturers spot cash. The lower
price at which we buy our pianos; the large volume
of business done by our three stores and the fact
that we do not have agents are also important fac-
tors in our ability to save our patrons money on the
pianos they purchase from us."
DIFFERENCE IN PLAYERPIANOS
DESCRIBED BY DETROIT FIRM
The Qualities That Make the Apollo "Different"
Are Cited by the J. L. Hudson Co.
The music store of the J. L. Hudson Co., Detroit,
printed an instructive lecture for prospective player-
piano customers this week. Following up the state-
ment that "there's a vast difference in playerpianos,
just as much difference as in motor cars," the firm
advised the prospective buyer to "investigate care-
fully before purchasing in order to make sure the
playerpiano selected will be a good one." It was a
good preface to the statement that "the Apollo is a
high grade playerpiano." The Hudson company
added the list of qualities that made it such:
"In action it is splendid—not too easy (for an easy
action becomes 'rattly' in time), nor too stiff to
make playing difficult. Tone is good—the rich, vi-
brant tone of the best grade of upright pianos. It
is easy to pedal—for the reason that it is equipped
with a spring motor (like your watch or Victrola)
rather than an air motor."
IN THE END.
FENCEWYREWANOCO
Cheap Grade;
Little paid;
Poorly made;
Never played.
—Baldwin Keynote.
Sold low;
Payments slow;
Profits go;
Biff—you know.
—Presto.
INVITES STEUBENVILLE.
Loggin & Cooper, 146 South Fourth street, Steu-
benville, O., is an active representative of the Pack-
ard pianos and presents them in an enthusiastic way.
This invitation is printed by the company this
week: "Come and see these fine pianos—and hear
them. You will find them of great charm, of appeal-
ing tone, of delightful architectural beauty. Yet,
so competent are the men that make them, prices are
not unreasonable. Your Packard piano may be ob-
tained for price not above that asked for instru-
ments of far less merit. Sometime your home will
have a truly fine piano. Have us tell you about
Packard pianos. There are grand, upright and
player models."
AMPICO INVENTOR'S TRIP.
Charles Fuller Stoddard, inventor of the Ampico,
was in Chicago late last week and demonstrated the
Ampico Reproducing pianos of the American Piano
Company at the Bissell-Weisert Company's ware-
rooms in the presence of customers and others.
Accompanying him on this trip are Copeland, Miro-
witsch and other artists. They left for Minneapolis
and were at Milwaukee on Saturday night.
CHICAGO'S OCTOBER SALES.
In spite of pessimistic expressions about slow sales
during the early part of October in Chicago, the sales
footings for that month have not shown so badly
along piano row. This was due to a spurt at the end
of the month, which was as welcome as it was unex-
pected. In a few stores the retail sales totals for
October exceeded even the highest figures hoped for
by the most optimistic among the managers.
GRADUATED AT POLK'S.
Donald Carl, of Harlan, Iowa, member of the
firm of W. H. Carl & Son, piano dealers, was in
Chicago late last week on his way home from Val-
paraiso, Ind., where he had just been graduated from
Polk's school of piano tuning. The young man has
made a thorough study of piano construction, which
will qualify him for greater success as a piano
salesman.
November 6, 1920.
SUGGESTING THE
PIANO AS A GIFT
Power of the Window Display Illustrated by
Incident in Vose & Sons' Piano Store
In Chicago Last Christmas Eve
Which Drew Attention
The alert dealer recognizes the power of window
display to suggest the holiday spirit. The desirable
holiday spirit in the minds of the piano dealers is
one suggesting the desire to celebrate by the pur-
chase of a piano or playerpiano. The celebrants, in-
variably influenced by the suggestion of the holiday
window display, are of course the loving fathers of
musical daughters with ambitions for a small grand,
newlyweds adding more comforts to the connubial
state and joy-loving people generally to whom the
piano or player provides the means to more happi-
ness.
The approach of the holidays increases the desire
to make others, the loved ones, happy. The keen
merchant understands that men and women go about
looking for suggstions for gifts. And many, a busy
man is indebted to the suggestions in the holiday
show windows for a welcome bit of prompting. An
occurrence last Christmas eve illustrates the truth of
the latter statement.
Mr. Shea's Story.
Herbert J. Shea, Chicago retail manager for the
Vose & Sons Piano Co., worked overtime on the
day before Christmas. It was not anything unusual
for Mr. Shea, who figuratively lashes himself to the
mast on occasions of great activity such as the
day named. But that was an evening the whole staff
worked particularly late, so that it was close to 11
p. m. or an hour before Christmas when the Vose
manager was taking his departure.
The spotlight was still turned on a Vose baby
grand in the window as Mr. Shea was drawing on
his gloves and on the outside he discerned a man
intently looking at the handsome instrument. But
as the piano always drew admirers the presence of
the man even at that late hour had no special signifi-
cance for the piano man. When the observer
turned the knob and entered the store Mr. Shea
was frankly surprised.
The Apologetic Customer.
''I want that piano in the window but I feel that
I'm playing you a dirty trick. You're all muffled
up and you've some place to go, where the candles
are lit and the yule log ablaze and here I interrupt
you with no excuse but an apology," said the vis-
itor with a shy laugh. "I want that piano and I
want it delivered before the folks wake up in the
morning. It's a big thing to ask at this ungodly
hour, but can it be done?"
"There's always a way where there's a will," said
Mr. Shea, wriggling out of his dreadnaught. "I'd
talk piano 'till the turkey was served and would
oblige a customer between the last bite of cran-
berry sauce and the first spoonful of plum pudding."
"Well that piano is sold to me on the conditions
stated. And now let me spout my excuses for this
midnight frolic on piano row," said the visitor.
The Explanation.
" 'Tisn't necessary, but as I know it will be inter-
esting, fire away," encouraged Mr. Shea pleasantly.
As the man told it, the recital was both pleasant
and amusing. He was the head of one of the big-
gest bond houses on LaSalle street with oodles of
money and a generous disposition. A month pre-
vious he had promised a beloved daughter some-
thang fine as a Christmas present without making up
his mind what it was to be.
"She trusted my generosity and never as much
as breathed a reminder. And that too when the
whole family knows I have an atrocious forgetery for
domestic chores," said the man repentently. "I had
reached home in Evanston rather late and was lighting
my last smoke before bed when my promise to buy
the fine present flashed accusingly into my mind.
I broke all the speed regulations in my trip to
Wabash avenue because I admired this piano one
day last week, and here I am. Can you do as I
ask and keep me from being eternally disgraced?"
"I can," was the assurance of Mr. Shea. "I'll do
it if I have to draft a moving' crew at the gun-point."
BIG GENERAL LINE.
The Robt. L. White Music Co., 45 and 47 Old Ar-
cade, Cleveland, is "known as the old reliable place
for musical instruments since 1847," as the firm
proudly prints in all its advertising. The house is
the agent in Cleveland for the band instru-
ments of C. G. Conn, Inc., Elkhart, Ind. A busy
department of the firm is the repair shop where a
staff of expert musical instrument repair men are
employed. In addition to band instruments a com-
plete line of string instruments is carried.
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