m
THE HARDWARE
r'-Y CHARLES AUSTIN BATES
M-.
■MMm
The Hardware Book
No
Issued to
The complete service which this book carries with it will be given on demand at any time after the full subscription price, twenty-five dollars (|;25.oo), has been received by the Charles Austin Bates Syndicate.
This service is covered by the coupon book which accom- panies t^e Hardware Book. Each coupon book contains : —
I Coupon entitling the holder to a letter of criticism and advice.
I Coupon entitling the holder to a plan for changing from credit to cash.
I Coupon entitling the holder to receive the monthly paper. " Good Advertising," fjr one 3-ear.
I Coupon entitling the holder to a book of store rules such as are used by leading houses.
I Coupon entitling the holder to "The Show Win- dow" (monthly), for three months
225 Coupons, each entitling the holder to purchase one single, or half-column, wood-base cut at sixteen (16) cents and postage. Or to double-column or metal- base cuts at the cost stated on the following page.
Only a part of the cuts in this book are made in double and half column sizes. If you want the.se .special sizes, we suggest
that you first send for a list of the numbers of them. The sizes shown are preferable in most cases.
This book and its accompanying coupons are sold and shipped in only one way — by C O. D. express, all charges collect, or payment may be sent in advance, in which case the book will be sent by mail, postage paid. The extraordinary privileges we extend to our subscribers make it absolutely impossible for us to burden ourselves with the details of book- keeping, collections, etc.
The coupons which permit the purchase of single, or half- column, wood-base cuts at sixteen cents and four cents postage, also entitle the holder to single, and half-column, metal-base cuts at twenty-five cents and twelve cents postage ; to double- column wood-base cuts at twentv-five cents and sixteen cents postage ; to double-column metal-base cuts at sixty cents and forty-eight cents postage.
When cuts are ordered, one coupon must be enclosed for each cut, and the cash. New York draft, stamps, or. money- order to cover the cost of cuts and postage, must be enclosed wath the order. Orders without cash will not be filled in any case. We are supplying the cuts at the bare cost of making and handling, and we can not add to our expense by bookkeeping. We strongly urge our subscribers to select a number of cuts to be sent at one time by express, instead of by mail, as the express charges will be less than postage. In this case remit only the cost of the cuts, and pay the express charges on delivery.
It is understood that all the coupons are void unless used before
The Charles Austin Bates Syndicate,
Vanderbilt Building,
New York.
. . THE . . .
Hardware Book
Edited by
CHARLES AUSTIN BATES
NEW YORK
The Charles Austin Bates Syndicate
J899
Copyright 1899 The Charles Austin Bates Syndicate
1 ')
HOW TO ADVERTISE HARD WARE AND STOVES.
Hardware stores are, as a rule, very poorly advertised.
There is no reason why they should not be as well adver- tised as any other kind of a store.
Here and there, in perhaps one or two towns out of a hundred, are striking exceptions to the rule, — hardware stores that seem to be enjoying a good deal more than their share of prosperity. And invariably these successes are due to good store management, and vigorous advertising.
The hardware business is more stable than many other lines. The goods are not easily breakable, few things be- come shop- worn, practically nothing goes out of style, and everything in the store will stand heat, cold, and age.
The grocer may advertise to-day that he will have one thousand quarts of strawberries for sale to-morrow. In such a case, the ad is for the most part a short-lived one. A con- siderable share of its selling power will be gone in a day or two, as no one would think about buying anj^ of that par- ticular lot of berries a week later.
It is different with the hardware man. He may adver- vise to-day that he has just received five hundred ice-cream freezers. Some people will buy to-day, and some to-morrow, and some next week. Some will need a freezer two months later, and will remember the ad, and naturally presume that some of the freezers are left, or that more have been pur- chased, and thus the ad retains its selling power for a long time.
There are innumerable parallel instances which might be cited to show that, theoretically, the hardware merchant's advertising really ought to bear the best of fruit. The trouble, however, in most cases, lies in the fact that so many conditions are in his favor that he does not become enthusi- astic. He knows that his ice-cream freezers won't spoil on his hands, and that they will sell sooner or later, and he lets his competitors sell too many by pursuing the same course.
4 THE HARDWARE BOOK.
If you are in an average town, with average competitors, and if your business is not already extraordinary, you ought to be able to double it — perhaps treble it — and even then keep it growing, by doing vigorous, persistent advertising, and keeping your store on a parity with the advertising.
THE FIRST STEP.
Do not plant seed before plowing. Do not expect satis- factory results if you have put the cart before the horse.
The first step in successful retailing is always taken within the store.
Good advertising will not make up for an incomplete and poorly arranged stock. It will not offset the short- comings of clerks, nor hold the custom of any one who is not satisfied wdth his last purchase.
It is profitable only when literally truthful, and when the conditions inside the store are commendable.
A great deal depends upon the efficiency of your clerks.
Politeness is second only to honesty. A salesman who always controls his temper, and who can be uniformly polite under all circumstances, is hard to find. But there are such, and they are worth looking for, and worth a good deal more salary than the average clerk.
Nine merchants out of ten, figuratively, are disposed to get along with the cheapest kind of help, while the tenth merchant wall pay big salaries, get the best help, and bank the most money.
Economy is a good thing, but there are lots of w^ays of cutting down expenses which will not result in economy.
As a rule, the clerk who sells the most goods is the most valuable clerk, but that is not always the case. Sometimes a clerk wnll be making a surprising lot of sales, and at the same time driving away old customers by being too urgent. The clerk question, like all others, must be considered from all points of view.
An abundance of light is of great importance. It is not a question of simply being able to see to transact business, but a matter of making the store strikingly attractive.
Money spent for electric arc lights is money well spent, even if the rate is pretty high. The man who puts in gas because it is cheap, and then saves more by keeping half his
THE HARDWARIv HOOK. 5
burners turned off, generall}^ does so many other things on the same basis that his prosperity is very limited.
Absolute cleanliness is not as essential in a hardware store as it is in any store that sells eatables, hut it should be considered so. It is of vast importance. The cleaner the store and windows, the better the impression upon customers. Try to forget that you were ever in your store. Then w^alk in and endeavor to see things through new eyes — through a stranger's eyes. That is a difficult thing to do, but it is worth trying. Give the matter a good deal of thought, and you will be able to see lots of things from a new point of view. Get some of your friends to criticize your store in every way possible. Tell them to make mean remarks about your goods, and the arrangement of them, and the service of your salesmen, etc. If you can get some friendly criticism in that way, you are almost sure to get some suggestions which can be utilized greatly to your profit.
When you advertise a special line of goods you should always make that line the most conspicuously displayed of any in the store, if possible. If it be oil stoves, put them on a table or counter, as well as in the window, so that peo- ple will understand that 3'our ads really mean that you want to sell oil stoves.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for a merchant to run a special sale ad, and then fail to have^ any evidences of a special sale in the store. In many cases the clerks do not see the ad, and are not apprised of its statements. That is decidedly wrong.
A special sale ad should have a lot of enthusiasm in it, and then there should be just as much, if not more, enthusi- asm in the store, wdien the scheduled time for the sale arrives.
The right kind of a course will, in a very short tune, convince the public that you are literally honest in your ads, as well as in your store, while a little carelessness in your advertising will damage you very materially, even though your intentions may be all right.
There are so many little "tricks in all trades" that mer- chants of even the highest standing must make a continual effort to hold the absolute confidence of their customers.
Of course I do not want to convey the idea that it is necessary to have the best and biggest stock, the best store, the finest location, and all other desirable advantages m
6 THE HARDWARE BOOit.
order to make advertising pay. It is absolutely essential to have reliable goods, and to sell them at reasonable prices, and to deal with people on the Golden Rule basis. It is best to have as many advantages as possible, but still, judi- cious advertising will pa}' well in spite of man}- disadvan- tages if the advertiser suits his customers with his goods, prices, and treatment.
THE NEWSPAPERS.
Spend your advertising money mostly with the news- papers.
Do not, under any circumstances, spend any of it for space in church, theater, or race-track programs. Do not use handbills. Do not use trading stamps nor any sort of scheme advertising. Such schemes do not pay anybody but the promoters more than once in a thousand times, and when they pay that often, it is accidental.
On the other hand, good, straightforward, persistent, newspaper advertising, done under favorable conditions, alwaj's paj's.
This is an age when everybody reads the newspapers, and nearly everybod}- has learned to profit by reading the advertisements.
Newspapers sell because people want the information they contain — the news. And the store news to be found in the ads is the most important news of the day to millions of American people.
You can put your store news before more people for less money by using newspaper space than in any other way. When you put your ad in a paper, you put it where people expect to find ads.
Do not imagine that your ad is not going to get due at- tention ' ' because there are so many other ads there. ' ' That is a rather common and very erroneous idea.
A paper that doesn't have many ads doesn't usually have a good circulation. Besides, when a person is looking up price-lists and bargain sales, he is pretty sure to give the most of his attention to the paper that contains the most ads.
People nowadays want the ads. They want your ads.
THE HARDWARE BOOK. 7
BOOKLETS AND CIRCULARS.
There is no substitute for newspaper advertising ; but the careful use of an occasional circular or booklet, if it be a really striking, forceful, high-grade one, is an invaluable adjunct.
Upon your actual customers you can afford to spend a good deal more money proportionately than you can upon those who are merely prospective customers. Right here is where the vast majority of retailers err. ^They figure that when a customer is secured that is all that is necessary, and further efforts to gain custom should be directed at com- petitors' customers.
You can probably induce your present customers to buy twentj^-five to fifty per cent, more goods easier and at a smaller cost than 3^ou can secure an equal amount of new business from new customers, provided 3^ou take the right course to do it.
You should have a carefully compiled list of the names of all customers. Two, three, or four times a j^ear send them a neat circular describing some new, seasonable goods, and quote prices.
The circular should be illustrated, and handsomely printed on fine paper. It should be worded much like a personal letter. Of course no one person wall think the cir- cular has been issued solely on his account, but it is possible to wTite it in such a way as to make each customer feel that he is one of a favored few.
A little direct talk in this way is always effective. There is no waste circulation. Practically every one of your cus- tomers will give your circulars due attention if you do not send them too often, and if you use circulars that are good enough to entitle you to the attention.
If you are reasonably prosperous, you can well afford to use a small booklet once or twace a year wath the circulars, or in lieu of them. If you send out booklets and circulars together, the circular should be in letter form, and be very concise. In that case its mission would be to have * * the first say," to convince the recipient, in a few words, that every line in the booklet is worth reading.
The booklet should be just as striking, and unique, and interesting as possible. It should not have the appearance of a mere catalogue. It should give some prices, and tell
8 THE HARDWARE BOOK.
about new goods, but this should be done as if you were telling an interesting narrative. The thread of the story should run through all the pages.
You should not mention staples in particular, but do the talking about the things that people need, but can and do get along without simply because they do not happen to think of them. A great deal can be accomplished in this direction.
Aside from sending these booklets through the mail to customers, they (or similar ones ) can be used to great ad- vantage to do up inside all small packages. You should have them for this purpose even if you do not care to go to the expense of sending them by mail. In this way they are especially effective wdien put in packages of goods sold to women.
In all corners of your store are innumerable labor-saving devices which most women do not have. These are the things to talk about.
Your circulars, and booklets, and letter-paper, and bill- heads, and envelopes, and all other printed matter, are your advertising matter. They all represent you, and you will be judged by 3^our representatives.
You can not afford to use printed matter from the shop of the average countr\^ printer, no matter how cheaply he is willing to work. He will tell you he does "artistic job printing with neatness and despatch," but that doesn't prove anything. It does, however, imply that he doesn't know what really artistic printing is.
I know enough about printers to know that absolutely every country printer thinks his work is better than can possibly be produced anywhere else in the country.
There are some good printers in country towns, but they are rare exceptions to the rule. And the best of them are usually handicapped for the want of proper facilities to enable them to handle such work as booklet printing to good advantage.
What is worth doing at all is worth doing well.
It is generally considered good policy to patronize home industries, but it is not good business to patronize one's home printer when the printer produces work that mis- represents one.
THE HARDWARE BOOK. 9
HOW MUCH MONEY TO SPEND.
When you are sure you are doing the right kind of ad- vertising, you are safe in spending money pretty hberally.
You should make an estimate of what you think you can profitably appropriate for a year's advertising, but you should not necessarily adhere to your original plan. You should be ready to increase your appropriation at any time. You may, at any time, have new competition to cope with. In such a case it would be better to put an extra hundred, or five hundred, dollars into advertising than to let the new firm get enough of your trade to reduce your profits that much.
Do not contract with a newspaper to use a certain amount of space each day or week. If you insist upon it, you can get just as good discounts by contracting for a certain amount of space to be used during a year, reserving the right to use just as much or little in each issue as you choose. Some days you wall have a good deal to say, while other days you will not have enough to say to w^arrant using a space as large as you would usually need.
Do not write an ad to fill a space. Write the ad to tell your story, and then let the amount of matter regulate the size of the space. In this way you wall not waste any space. In this way you can save up space for a few i.ssues, and then make a splurge with a very large space. In this way you will attract a great deal more attention than by using the same space each time, while the cost per year will be the same.
In advertising it is not a question of how little you can spend, but how much you can profitably spend. The more the better so long as it pays.
Perhaps if you make your advertising matter twice as good it will pay several times as well. And then it may be possible to double up on the amount of it to excellent ad- vantage, while if it were doubled in quantity without being improved in qualit}', it would be very unprofitable.
There are very few" fixed rules in advertising. It has to be regulated from day to day and week to week according to one's best judgment.
From one and a half to five per cent, of the gross re- ceipts is the range of expenditures of the majority of well- advertised stores.
lo THE HARDWARE BOOK.
WHAT TO SAY.
There are a great many things to be said in favor of kitchen conveniences. They don't cost much, and yet in ninety-nine kitchens out of a hundred, the one who does the work gets along month after month with inconveniences and insufficient paraphernaHa. The work is done in a hard way, because of the lack of a few articles that a few cents, or, at the most, a couple of dollars, would buy.
If you can tell these things in your advertisements, and quote prices on convenient small wares, you can sell them every time. More than that, if you get people into your store for a ten- cent article, the chances are they will buy a dollar's worth before they leave.
I do not believe there is a woman in the world who can look over a stock of house- furnishing goods, and not buy some of it if she has the price.
She is sure to see something that she has wanted for a long time.
She will find things that she has been doing without for years without knowing that she was doing without them.
If she goes into a store to get a fifty-cent stew-pan, there is an excellent opportunity to show her a twenty-four dollar stove.
Stove dealers may not know it, but there are only a few stoves in the w^orld's kitchens that really behave as stoves ought to behave.
There are only a few women who are satisfied with their stoves.
They either bake too slow, or they bake too fast, or they do not bake at all. They bake too quickly on the top, or too slowly on the bottom, or vice versa.
If you can convince them that you have a stove that will really do what it is designed to do, you won't have a great deal of trouble in selling it.
When it comes to heaters, the problem is a little more difficult. Then it is generally a question of handsome ap- pearance, combined with convenience and reasonable price.
The pretty stoves are the ones to advertise. They are the ones that people do not know about.
Everybody knows that she can go to a stove store, and buy a cast-iron "cannon" stove, or a little sheet-iron-hall- bedroom-boarding-house stove; but she doesn't know about
THE HARDWARE BOOK. ii
that new, nickel-plated, tile-front, open-faced parlor stove that you have just received.
That 's the thing to tell her about. If you have a por- trait of it, put it in the ad, but be sure that the portrait does it justice. If it flatters it a little, it will not do any harm.
Base burners are sold more for their convenience and their heating qualities. If you have such a stove that only has to be filled with coal about once a month, and never goes out on cold mornings — that's the stove to advertise.
I believe women buy most of the stoves, or at any rate they boss the buying. The}^ also have most of the bother of taking care of a stove after it is bought.
Most men are so busy in the morning that tliej' forget to fill the base burner before they go down- town.
Then the woman of the house has to do it herself.
Naturally a stove that needs attention only once a day possesses strong attractiveness for her.
There are a lot of convenient little articles in a hardware stock that can be profitably advertised. Of course, the hard- ware dealer has to cater to the trade of the builders and carpenters in his community, but he must look for the large part of his business from the women.
There are refrigerators and screens, lawn mowers and garden hose, weather strips, pocket and table cutlery, and half a hundred other things that appeal directly to women. These things should be advertised in their proper season.
There are many other things that could be profitably ad- vertised if the hardware dealer gave sufficient thought to his businCvSS.
I believe that a box with compartments in it for a small quantity of several sizes of nails could be sold at about two or three times the price of nails by the pound.
In not one house in an hundred is there a nail to be found when it is wanted. I believe an outfit of this kind could be made up and sold quite largely.
You can sell carpet tacks most any time you please, if you make a cut price on them. Sell them at cost if you like. You can't lose very much money if you sell out your entire stock of tacks. You will get people into the store, and when they come, they will buy something besides the tacks.
Table cutlery is a good thing to advertise.
Pocket knives are good things to advertise.
12 THE HARDWARE BOOK.
There is a concern in Toledo that does a big mail-order business in pocket knives by advertising in the magazines and religious papers. If local dealers were wide-awake, this firm's business would not be so great.
Talk to people through your ads just as 3^ou talk to them in your store.
Tell why 3'Our stoves or your granite teakettles are good. Tell who the makers are. Describe everything fully and quote the price. Describe everything just as if the reader were grossly ignorant. The fact is that you understand your goods so thoroughly that you are likely to presume that the general public has considerable knowledge of them. And this is where you are very likely to make a mistake.
The things that ' ' everybody ought to know ' ' are usually just the things that most people do not know, and will not learn unless you tell them in your ads.
Do not worry about saying too much as long as 3'ou tell facts about your goods.
A young man w^ho is living in a boarding-house, and has n't ever seriously contemplated married life, is not going to read a long ad about a kitchen range. You might possibly make your ad so very short and so very large that he couldn't help reading it, but it wouldn't do you any good if he should. On the other hand, a long description of the range will be carefully read by any man or woman who is inter- ested. Too much brevity spoils a vast majority of ads.
FUNNY ADvS.
An ad which is read is not always successful — as Mrs. Partington has said: " Not by no means."
I have no doubt that there are a great many ads which are read, and which result in no business.
The idea of attracting attention at any cost is one with which I can not too strongly express my disagreement.
The funny ad may be good, or it may not. The chances are rather on the side of its not being good. Not all people are humorists, and among those who are there is a great dif- ference of opinion. A thing may be very funny to one man, and very disgusting to another ; and it seems to me that the safest and surest way is to stick to common sense and plain English.
THE HARDWARE HOOK. 13
The riming ads, I suppose, have their value. It is cer- tainly true that they stick in one's mind to a most exasper- ating extent. Whether they bring business or not, is some- thing which it is probable nobody will ever know. Probably, if the rime could be made to convey a good, solid shot, it would be as good as a straight talk would be, but most of the riming ads that I see do not have these very essential qualities.
DISPLAY.
An ad is well displa3'ed when it is prominent and yet plain and easy to read.
In country town papers the majority of ads are so badly displayed that a simple, plain ad presents a striking contrast.
Whatever effort is made to gain prominence, do not let your printer do away with simplicity. Do not let him set curved lines nor use embellishments. Do not let him be "artistic." I have already said something about country printers. When it comes to newspaper advertising, of course it is necessary to accept the work of a country town printer if one is doing business in a country town. But any office is well enough equipped if to set a good newspaper ad. The trouble is entirely with the printer.
You should decide upon a style, and then insist upon having your ads set in that style. If it is difficult for you to explain how you want them, a good plan is to clip some ads that suit you, from city newspapers, and give them to your printer. He can easily follow the style.
Never use more than three display lines and three styles of type in any one ad. Generally one display line and one style of type make the best possible display.
A plain rule border is usually an advantage, although not essential.
Some very extensive and successful advertisers use no display at all, but the best rule is to always have one strong line to catch the eyes of readers who would otherwise over- look the ad entirely.
The fact that some advertising pays well without being displayed, doesn't prove that it wouldn't pay much better if made more prominent by very striking display.
The most successful people have much to learn.
H
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
TRIM YOUR VINES,
plant your garden and make your borne a bower of loveliness when spring comes with her hands full of violets. We bave on band to aid you in tbla bealtb- glvlng work, the largest asBortment of fine garden tools of the kind that will not try your patience while using them, Including trowels, weeders. spades, rakes, shears and pruning knives, the latter In all flzes from &n 8-inch hand pruner for grape vines and shrubbery to the large tree pruner with 10 foot handle. We carry the best brands made. Our 14-ounce solid copper double sprayer with 1 quart tank at $1.00 each
Is the greatest value ever offered for the money. We will have them on sale
commencing Monday, March 20th.
Seavey Hardware Company,
Sole Agents Famous Stewart & Born Steel Ranges.
Home and Bell 'Phone 149.
19 and 21 West Main Street.
The display of this Seavey ad is commendable as com- pared with the majority of ads ; but it is not beyond criti- cism.
If the head-line were larger — extending over the cut — and the signature smaller, and the ornaments between the reading-matter and cut omitted, the appearance of the ad would be excellent.
When a large headline and small signature are used, every change in an ad is obvious at a glance. A very prominent signature and small heading make different ads look very much alike and many readers, in such cases, are uncon- sciously impressed with the idea that the same ad is running right along. Of course this is but a small point, but it is a good one ; and a few good points often makes poor ads good enough to be profitable.
The same styles of type and the same general style of setting should be followed, but every different ad should be otherwise as different as possible. A new headline, and a new cut should be used each time, and it is well to make frequent changes in the shape of your ads.
THE HARDWARE BOOK,
15
You Can Handle Tools
If you have them. A wrench, and a saw, and a hammer, and a file, and a few other things — in all only a few dollars' w^orth — will save you many dollars a year.
You will do the little odd jobs during your odd moments, and the saving in carpenters' and plumbers' bills will count up lots faster than you anticipate.
The coat probably fits. Put it on.
We have the tools. Our prices are low.
Fowler Hardware Company.
This Fowler ad shows the best possible style of display for a small, single-column ad.
The cut is striking, the head-line strong, and the whole ad is simple and readable.
The proportionate sizes of the headline and signature are just right in this ad although, of course there is no occasion to make any fixed rule.
Either or both of these specimens will do to give to your printer, to use as a guide in setting 3'our ads.
i6 THE HARDWARE BOOK.
THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
The best ads nowada^'s are illustrated.
Practicalh" all the big prosperous advertisers use cuts liberall3\ And they have demonstrated be3^ond any ques- tion that appropriate illustrations increase the value of an ad very materially.
The large city department stores, and many of the great manufacturing concerns, have their own artists, and keep them constantly emplo3"ed making new designs.
In some cases a cut is of great value, because it conve3's to the reader a knowledge of an article which would be difficult to describe clearl3^ But in most cases its sole object is to attract attention.
Ever3^bod3' will look at a striking picture, whether it is in 3^our ad or in any other part of the paper. And it would be almost impossible to get so man3' striking pictures in a a paper that the average reader would n't look at all of them.
Any sort of an illustration is permissible to attract atten- tion, so long as it can not give offense to any one ; but as a rule the most effective cuts are those which show, in tise, the article talked about.
A small, neat outline cut will make ever3^ ad so much more valuable that, in view of the present low prices of cuts, you can hardly ever afford to use newspaper space without using a cut to draw attention to it.
Circulars and booklets should be profusel3^ illustrated.
For a small ad one cut each time is sufficient.
It pays to have a new cut for each new ad. If one should use an old cut it would, at a glance, tell the reader that the ad is old also. And people want fresh ads just as often as thev want fresh news of the world.
WHEN TO ADVERTISE.
The time to advertise is all the time, but the time to do the most advertising is when there is the most business to be had.
You vShould never stop advertising entirel3' because busi- ness is dull, but it is well to cut down 3'our space during dull weeks, and save up the ammunition for brisk seasons.
The newspaper man will tell 3'ou that 3'OU should adver- tise more in dull times than in busy times. His argument
THE HARDWARE BOOK. 17
is that you can create business by vigorous advertising in dull times. You can, but it is probable that you can not create enough to warrant paying the newspaperman as much money as he will advise you to pay him.
There is always something to talk about, andj^ou should always advertise in dull times so as to lose no ground, but you can not sell heating stoves in June nor fly screens in December.
You can not succeed if you try to do inconsistent things, and it certainl}^ is inconsistent w^hen any one advises doing the most advertising during the dullest season.
By making a close study of the matter you can make most of your advertising seasonable.
If you sell garden hose and lawn mowers, and if you have a plumber who makes water connections and puts in h^'drants, etc. , you can do a lot of profitable talking upon these subjects as the grass begins to grow in the spring. Then 3^ou can talk about ice tongs, and garden tools, and ice-cream freezers, oil and gas stoves.
Skates, and snow shovels, tools used by farmers during harvesting time, and carpet stretchers, and all sorts of things are seasonable at different times in the year.
When an exceedingly hot or cold snap sets tongues " a-waggin' " about the temperature, spring a thermometer ad on the people.
YOUR GUARANTEE.
"Your money back if you want it," isn't a new idea, but it is the best guarantee of quality that was ever made.
You should always back up your guarantee in this way, or in words to the same effect. If 3^our goods won't stand it, then there is something wrong with them, and you must not expect very profuse prosperity- under the circumstances.
The standing offer to return mone}^ for any unsatisfac- tory' goods will, of course, result in your being imposed upon occasionally, but you must expect that. And in case there should be anything really wrong with anj^thing you sell, you certainly want to know it.
You can not afford to have any displeased customers under any circumstances if you can possibly help it.
The trouble with a great man}- merchants is that they do not look far enough ahead when dealing with displeased
1 8 THE HARDWARE BOOK.
customers. The}^ generally try to convince the customers that they are mistaken. And in most cases the customers are "convinced against their will." In other words, they are not convinced at all, but simply give up the fight, and decide always to buy elsewhere, and also always to endeavor to induce other people to do so.
It is a very common thing for a displeased customer to want a good deal of revenge, and he often gets it. Dignified silence would, of course, be more becoming, but the ma- jority of people are not diplomats.
One must deal with the world as it is — not as it ought to be — if he would reap the greatest possible pecuniary harvest.
Whenever you feel that you are imposed upon, just figure that the amount lost is an investment in a license to use the strongest kind of quality argument — the money-back-if- you-want-it argument.
SPECIAL SALES.
The great department stores that merchants everywhere are complaining about have developed almost wholl}^ as the result of the judicious advertising of bargain sales.
The American people, especially the women, want bar- gains. The more the better, usually.
Every few^ weeks you should get a lot of odds and ends together, and advertise a cut-price sale.
Make the cuts deep when you cut at all. You can afford to lose a little on a few things for the sake of using this method to draw a crowd.
So many people will come to bu}" a fift3^-cent bargain, and then buy a lot of other things at regular prices, that you will find the plan very profitable. The fact that hard- ware dealers rarely do much bargain sale business will be to your advantage.
The right sort of bargain sales can be made profitable in most any line of business.
WINDOW DISPLAY.
Hardware windows are often pretty, but usuall}^ not as effective as they should be.
THE HARDWARE BOOK. 19
The sole object of a window display is to advertise — to sell goods.
Some windows attract a great deal of attention, but do not draw people into the store to bu3^
You should display only a few things at a time, and change very often, and have a neat, plain price-card on each different article.
When necessar}^, have an explanation as well as the price on the card.
Do not make unpriced displaj^s with the common, but erroneous, idea that every one who is interested in the goods shown will come in to ask the prices. Of course, many people will, but not nearly all who will be interested.
In a great many cases your prices will be lower than people would imagine, and upon seeing a price a person will immediately decide to buy, while if the price were not shown in the window, he would never give the matter any serious consideration.
Make buying just as easy as possible in every way.
You have lots of little things wdiich are convenient and novel, but not really necessities, that sell for five and ten cents. If you have some of these on your show cases where you make change, and have price tags on them, you will very often have a customer push a nickel or a dime back at you, and help himself to one of the articles. If the articles in question were inside the show-cases, not as many people would buy, simply because it would not be as convenient to do so.
The slightest trifles decide people in very many cases, and careful attention to a multitude of trifles will bring suc- cess that would otherwise never come.
You get your own hardware at your own store, but everything else you and your family use you buy at other stores. You have preferences — decided ones in some cases. At the first thought it is probable that 3'ou can not tell just why you have some of these preferences.
A good deal of thought will doubtless reveal a lot of rea- sons that you have never thought of before. Study the matter deeply, and you will find ideas that 3'ou can utilize in advertising your own business.
Ready=Made Ads for Busy Merchants
The following pages of ready- made, illustrated ads will be found invaluable. They are so varied that something appropriate will be found for almost any occasion.
You can use the cuts with the matter as shown, or the cuts with original matter of your own. Again you will find the ad matter, with or without alterations or additions, suitable to use without the cuts if you so desire. All sorts of combina- tions of cuts and matter can be made.
When you want cuts, order them by number 07ily. The prices and postage rates appear on inside of front cover.
These ads are printed on one side of leaves only, with plenty of room below them, so that you can add prices, signature, etc., and then tear out the page to send to the printer. Thus the preparation of a daily or weekly ad of the very best kind is a matter of only a few moments' work.
No. 132.
The Girl Who Does
The Kitchen Work
should have the best of implements and plent}' of them.
Ten chances to one if you would spend from two to five dollars for a lot of little conveniences, you would very materially facilitate the kitchen work. It would pay you better than it would pay the girl, and it would be worth a lot to her.
No. ioo.
The Cook
should have a good steel range. You can well afford it. You '11 have better meals, and the cook will have a better temper, and stay by you longer.
It will pay for itself in a short time by saving fuel. There are innumerable reasons why you should have one, and not a single reason why you should not.
No. loo.
Don't Eat a Cold Lunch
when it is such a simple, and quick, and inexpensive matter to have a hot one.
A little gasoline stove that costs but
$ will obviate all the unpleasant
features of an ordinary cook stove. Try it this hot weather.
No. 22S.
When the Kitchen Girls
Become Weary,
it 's usually because her work is hard for the want of a few in- expensive conveniences.
The work is done and it doesn't worry you, and that is why you overlook little things that you really ought not to over- look.
No. 369.
.^L
r=^^
The riodern Steel Range
can be pushed up in most any old corner out of the way. It is so constructed that it is perfectly safe any- where, and is wonderfully compact. It is altogether a different proposition from the old-fashioned cast-iron cook stove that gets red-hot in the wrong places at the wrong time.
No. 4CX).
A Small Coal Stove
is lots better than keeping a furnace fired up during the days in spring and fall \vhen it is chilly but not really cold.
It will save a good deal in fuel, be easier to regulate, and can be easily taken down and stored when not wanted.
A furnace isn't a complete heating outfit.
No. 420.
A Little ''Pony"
Coal Stove
is just the thing to put up in your new boarder's back chamber. To be sure there 's a register in his room which is connected with a furnace, but there isn't much heat suppHed by it except on warm days. . The stove won't cost much, and it will probably make the difference of either keeping or losing the boarder.
No. 432.
A Good Hard=Coal Stove
may have some dis- advantages, but in most cases it is more satisfactory in every respect than steam, or hot water, or hot air, or any other kind of heating system.
The man who can afford a coal stove isn't very bad off if he can't afford an expensive steam-heating plant.
We sell stoves cheaply.
No. looi.
^ X
Keen Prices on Sharp Goods.
It's time to think of skates. It need not be an expensive thought, for we sell men's skates with high-grade cast-steel runner, heel and toe plates, and clamp of
cold, rolled steel, at a pair. The
mechanism has been proved perfect, in- cluding the easy working, sure grip, lock lever. We have both men's and women's skates in better grades also.
Table knives, carvers, and pocket knives are always in season. We have possibly a larger and better stock than usual just now, however, and at some- what lower prices than common.
No. I loi
DEALERSIN
A Straight Tip.
Important in a hardware stock are tools. Tools are the living of the me- chanic—the carpenter. It 's possible to produce good work with bad tools, but it's much harder to do it. Good ones cost little, if anything more, than the other kind The quality depends on where you buy. You are always sure of the best at .
No. 1272.
Good Hardware.
We aim to make this store so good and the service so pleasant that when a man once trades here, he will always trade here. The way we are going to do this is to keep a splendid stock of everything which could possibly come under the head of hardware. We want you to feel when you come in that you are going to get just what you come after, and that it is going to give excellent satisfaction.
No.
3200.
The Question
Of Hardware
IS an important one to all who have any need of it whatever. Good hardware means money saved for the builder and the home man alike. We don't believe that there is a single hard- ware store in this vicinity, where so much attention is given to details and so much pains taken to give the best goods at the very lowest prices.
No. 3201
Summer Heat.**
The thermometer will soon be climbing to the Summer heat mark.
You '11 soon be wishing you could con- trive to get along without that awfully hot range.
You can. Burn gas.
Gas makes an ideal heat for cooking — quick, convenient, and economical.
We have the gas stove you want — it costs but .
No 3202.
We Want to Paint
the fact all over the world that we have the best assortment of colors in paints and the finest stock of paint brushes in this vicinity. We are always pleased to assist a customer in choosing and matching colors. Come in any day and look over our color cards.
No 3203.
Hardware !
If your hardware has been receiving hard wear, or if you have any hardware needs, we have a stock that will exactly suit you in every respect. We 're trying to make this the best hardware store there is. That 's what we think of by day and when we don't sleep at night. If we had n't a good store, we would n't have the patronage we have ; if we had n't the patronage we have, we couldn't make prices like these : —
No 3204.
Hard Work!
Hard Ware!
It 's hard work to cater to the hardware wants of a connnunity. No two people want the same thing, but we take hints from every one who comes into the store, and if you can find a more complete or better stock of everything in the hard- ware line, we 'd like to know about it. In the meantime, maybe these prices will in- terest you : —
No. 3205.
Hammer 'Em Down !
We are continually trying to hamtner down the prices on hardware. If you will give us your trade, it will make matters easier. The more customers we have, the less things will cost. Besides cheapness, we offer durability, good material, good workmanship. If you buy a nail of us, it wnll be a good nail — it will do good work.
;,2t)6.
It Often Happens.
The holes that make their appearance ill the dish-pans and milk-pans come with- out warning, like the ghost that walks at night. No one knows how it happened. We don't mind, of course, because it makes business good for us. The holes are there, and new pans are here. That 's what we are trying to get at. vSolid, honest tin, fashionecl in convenient, shin- ing pans, etc., waiting to save you many steps and keep the food clean and whole- some. As much honesty has gone into the making of this tinware as goes into a diamond ring.
No. 3207,
It's a Little Out of the
Regular Order of Things,
perhaps, but we have a big supply of paints and artists' mate- rials at our hardware store. And it 's the best line in town — the best with the prices right down to low-water mark.
No. 320S.
A riean Trick.
We think it 's a mean trick to sell any- thing under false pretenses. It 's a thing we have never done, and we never intend to do it. We .sell cutlery — hardware of all sorts, too — but cutlery is our specialty. We would like to furnish you with all the cutlery you may need.
No. 32C9.
Tools for Everybody.
The builder and the farmer can find anything and everything the opening of the season demands, in. our hardware stock.
Tools of known reliability and estab- lished reputation are the only kind we sell — we never experiment with doubtful goods for the sake of making a little larger profit.
Here are some startling values at very moderate prices: —
No. 3210.
nii^^^^
Stove Thoughts.
Xipp}- days now and then make thoughts of stoves pertinent and comfort- able. It ma}' be a little early to buy, but it certainly is n't too early to commence to look about if you expect to get the most for your money. If you want a stove and don't care what it is, or what you pay, buy at any old store. If you want something valuable which will give good service and no trouble, and not cost a small fortune, come right this way. We have stoves suitable for your parlor, din- ing-room, or kitchen. Your money will buy more heat here than anywhere else.
No. 3211.
Coal Dealers
Don't Like It.
They can't make much money out of this stove. It does n't burn enough coal to suit them. They have been used to the old kind, consuming almost a ton of coal a day. Seriously, this stove is the most economical stove we know anything about. We use one ourselves, so ^ye know what we 're talking about. It will save its cost in coal in a short time.
Drop in, and look at it.
No. 3212.
♦' Woman's Work
is never done." The poet who wrote that line was .sane on this one .subject in any event. Woman's work is never done, and she should have every aid possil)le to lighten her labors. A dol- lar's worth of handy helpers in the kitchen will save many steps and much strength. We have the handy helpers here — you may have them there for very little monev.
No. 3213.
Every Woman Who Cooks
knows the high value of graniteware utensils; knows that they are incomparable time and labor savers. Not every woman knows, though, how cheap we sell them.
Here are some interesting figures: —
No.
" I Want nore Coal."
A great many pretty stoves at delight- fully low prices are like Oliver Twist — always wanting more. What matters it how pretty a stove is, — how small the price, — if it is going to eat so much coal that you have to go into the coal business in order to satisfy it? In buying a stove, this is an important thing to look after.
The is as pretty a stove as you
would wish to see, and this coal feature has been carefully looked after. The price is $ .
No. 3215.
Stove Time 's Here,
and the stoves are here. All kinds, from oil heaters up to ranges.
A range we are particularly proud of is the made of true steel — econom- ically — does n't take more than a reason- able amount of coal to run it, and it has an oven to bake to your husband's taste. With it all, this queen of stoves costs only I .
No. -^216.
-^--:^^^/g(.,
—■f^^inKi^Jl^'
Clean, Convenient,
Comfortable.
The
should be in every home
- Oil Heater, it would be
if people knew its many virtues.
With its aid one may have heat where- ever it is wanted — at once without trouble or loss of time. In the bedrooms at night, or in the morning, it quickly heats the air, and makes shivering little chil- dren feel more like rising.
Comfort, cleanliness, economy, and health for $ . Other si/:es and styles.
No. 3217.
You're Losing floney
every time you fill the old stove up with coal. Stoves have im- proved since that was bought ; they are better for the money ; prices are lower, and the economical side of the coal ques- tion has been looked after. Nowhere are these improvements to be seen better than
in the .
It costs I , and that money will not
buy a better stove any where in the Union. It will save you money, coal, time, and trouble. It 's here to be looked at.
No. 32 1 S.
Buying a Stove
is an important under- taking. If you get an unsatisfactory article, there 's misery ahead for you all winter. Some stoves cook well, but eat up an awful amount of coal. Other stoves are economically inclined in this respect, but won't bake well.
The is built of good, solid stuff.
It doesn't require an awful amount of coal; it bakes beautifully, and its price
is $ . That amount could n't buy the
same qualities in any other store.
No. 3219.
Keeping Warm
is a very comfortable and substantial thought just now, and it 's a thought that can't be thought about too much. Stoves are not Ijought every day. They won't wear out like a handkerchief. Buy a good stove, one that will last, and give solid satisfaction. Buy it here, and be sure that it WII^L last, and give solid satisfaction.
No. -;22(>.
Plenty of Hardware.
Whatever your wishes in this line, we can meet them. We are just as affable when selling a box of tacks as when we
sell a stove for $ . Our aim is to give
satisfaction in goods, prices, and treat- ment, and we think we succeed pretty well. Don't pass us by next time you need anything in our line.
No ^22 1.
A Warm Stove
is n't a bad thing to think of this weather. Stove thoughts
naturally lead us to thoughts of the .
For good, solid satisfaction in every way there is nothing to equal it. It is eco- nomically inclined in regard to coal, and price also, for that matter, only costing $ . You won't know what stove sat- isfaction is until you have tried the .
No. ^222.
How About the Hatchet?
Thanksgiving will be around before you know, and turkeys taste best killed in the old-fashioned way.
Our prices range from | to $ .
We guarantee good steel at any of these prices.
Any other hardware wants you may have will be satisfactorily filled here.
No. 322:^.
Trusty Tools.
Years of experience have taught us where to buy the best hardware in the country, and we buy none but the best.
Close and careful buying for spot cash saves us enough money to enable us to sell you the best and niost durable tools at the same prices that you would have to pay for the uncertain and untrust- worthy kind.
For example : —
No. 3224.
Give Him a
Warm Welcome.
vSanta Claus ! You can't have a Christ- mas Heart in a Chilly Body.
No use to poke the fire, if the stove is a rackety wreck. We '11 sell you a new one for about the cost of winter repairs on the old. Come and help yourself to Christmas-warmth at peace-and-good-will prices.
No. 3225.
No Use Trying
to put an ed^e on a hatchet that 's all hacked to pieces. Get a new one. We '11 sell you one — well- tempered, head and handle securely joined together — at such a small price that you '11 wonder why you did n't get it before. Everything else here is reliable and moderately priced.
No. 3226.
If You Need a Stove,
it is certainly an ap- propriate thing to put a Christmas card on. It doesn't make any difference whether 3'ou buy it for your wife, or vice versa. It 's a common-sense proposition from all points or view.
No. 3227.
Edge Tools.
Don't start the new year with a hatchet that won't cut, a saw that won't saw, or a chisel that won't chisel. Get out these three tools that are often needed — if they are badly off, come to us. We '11 sell you new ones that '11 do your work quick- ly. Our prices are all right.
No. ^228.
^_ J^^
mm
MOI^fljiEC^
Cold Months
are ahead. Warm them up with a good stove — to replace that one of yours that can't give out enough heat. Our stoves are heating. Are hand- some. Burn easily. Don't clinker easily. Have all the improvements. Are just the kind of stoves you want. Our prices are alwavs moderate.
No. 3229.
Everything Is Here.
When carpenters or plumbers want to replenish their tool chests at a very nomi- nal cost, they can find anything in the hardware line at our store.
We are ahead in this line, becau.se we are keeping the keenest lookout upon our prices. We are considering our buyers' interests as well as our own.
No. 3230.
"^^;.>::^
You Don't Buy a Stove
every month, so that when you do buy, you want to look around a little, and see where you can get the greatest satisfaction for your money.
We have a great line of stoves here, and we can suit any pocketbook with our prices.
No. 3231
A Glorious Skate
in thu bitiiiK, crisp air is iust the thiiiR to tone you up. You can secure a Rood, reliable pair of steel skates
for We have reduced them since
the holidays, and we have them in all sizes to suit all feet.
No. 3232.
In Our Stove Department
are some " hot propo- sitions, ' ' and in our various other depart- ments are all the kinds of goods that a first-rate, up-to-date hardware store is supposed to have. We don't charge the usual hardware profits. Our profits are as small as our sales are numerous.
No. 323^
Time for Garden iools.
Our stock of garden and fami tools is especially complete and worthy this spring.
We have all the latest and best tools — all from the best manufacturers.
Get your spring needs filled here — we can please you, and save money for you.
No. 3234.
The Best Natured
Man in the World
will jT^rumble at a dull, soft, vacillating carving-knife. Come in and see our line. Then we '11 show you table cutlery that will astonish you. Ev- erything, from the big, shining carv-ing set to the toys used by the two-year-old. vSupplies for the kitchen, too, of the best and cheapest
No. 3235.
A Good Carver
can't distinguish him- self without the proper tools.
Please think about this in advance of that Thanksgiving dinner, to which you have invited so many friends.
We have the proper tools at the proper price.
No. 3237.
Well Tempered Steel
is the only material that enters into the making of the tools we sell. We are sure of this, because we bu}' only of those manufacturers whom we know are trustworthy. We want you to deal with us because we sell the best tools and other hardware.
No. 32;vS.
Good Work
can not be done with- out good tools. This is a hardware store that sells good tools, made of well-tem- pered steel, set firmly in the handles. The wood used in the carpenters' vises we sell is thoroughly seasoned, and is the best obtaina):>le for the purpose. Fair prices are the rule here.
No. 3239.
The Friends
of the carpenter." That is what we call the tools we sell. Tliev are to be depended upon, and help him' with his work. Bad tools can cause as much trouble in carpentering as bad brains. Come and see for yourself.
No. 324c
Time Is Money,
and the tools which save minutes will save you their cost in a short while. The tools we sell save you time, because they can be depended upon. They are made of the very best materials, in the best way, and their prices are just right, because we believe in buying and selling so as to keep your trade as long as we stay in business.
No. 3242.
What a Tempting Dinner
your wife would pre- pare if she had a good range. We have just the sort of range she wants and you will find the price surprisingly low. We keep everything in the line of house- furnishings and hardware. You will find a satisfactory price on all goods.
No. 3243.
Don't Forget
Your Stable
when you are buying hardware. We have all the hardware that belongs to a stable, and at prices that cost no more than the unreliable kind. Our goods are* the kind that wear well. You will get honest value in every article that you buy from us.
No. 3244.
This Is the Season
for painting and planting. If you desire to have your house look well, your flowers appear beautiful, and your vegetable patch produce something more substantial than sprouts, you will buy your paints and seeds from us. All fresh, new stock.
No. 3245.
Easter Flowers
and spring grass re- quire plenty of sprinkling, and April showers can not be depended upon. \ on need a garden hose — a hose that will not leak; that will last for more than one season. Everything we sell is made for service. There is no reason why good rubber goods and hardware should ever wear out from ordinary use.
No. 3246.
Approaching Summer
leads to thoughts of water coolers. We have them. We sell water coolers in all sizes and all kinds of linings. The porcelain lined are the most expensive, but it pays in the end to buy
No. 3247.
Honest Hardware,
honest weights, and honest prices, when you buy here. Our scales are noted for their accuracy, and our cutlery has a reputation for cutting and good wi ar. Everything in the hardware line may be depended upon, if you buy it from us.
No. 3248.
A Hardware Store
needs no better recom- mendation than a high grade of cutlery^ High grades do not always mean high prices. They do not mean high prices here. Good cutlery is worth a good price, but we ask no more for our goods than a fair and honest profit will allow.
No. 3249.
Hollow Ware
should be purchased only at a reliable store. If the quality of the' iron is not of standard grade,there are defects in the castings. Defects mean burnt spots in the iron and burnt spots mean spoiled dinners. Our hollow ware may cost a trifle more than a poor grade, but it more than earns its cost in the length of service and satisfaction.
No. 3250.
torr«>t"T Is--
You Find a Jumble
of satisfaction, and value, and merit, and service in the really good hardware that has helped us to a reputation for honest goods and honest prices. We know the quality of the goods we sell, and feel safe in offering your money back for even imaginary faults.
No. 3251
A First=Class Workman
is never satisfied with second-class tools. First-class tools are worth a first-class price, but we are satis fied to sell high-grade tools at the same price you would pay for tools affording half the satisfaction.
No. 3252.
*♦ Appearances
Are Deceitful,"
and smooth surfaces with bright polishes do not always coyer the best cutlery that you can get. Buying here will warrant your getting the best hardware and cutlery that can be bought — at any price. Fair profits and fair dealing.
No. 3253.
^^^s=^^
Standard Hardware
at Standard Prices
is the last-a-lifetiine hardware that is cheapest in the end. Paying less than we charge is getting less value and half the satisfaction. Buying at a higher price than we ask is paying more than the goods are worth.
No. 3254.
Can You Afford It?
Can you afford to Iniy wire cloth that will rust and break, and look unsightly after a few weeks' wear ? Of course you can't. You prefer the weather-proof kind, that 's made to last through sunnner and winter, and still be good the following spring. That 's the kind we 're selling now, and that 's the kind you want to buy.
No. 3255.
The Tools Most Used
are the ones to be se- lected with a view to quality rather than to price. Let us show you what honest hardware at honest prices really means. You can not get better than the best, and what we sell "is as good as experience can make or money buy.
No. 3256.
CoHTRIftHTrrX"*"
We Are Hammering
Our Way into Favor
by giving the customer the best hardware that can possibly be made, at the lowest price it can honestly be sold for. This is the sort of hardware that you can not wear out, and that is the kind you want.
No. 3257
The Cares of
Housekeeping
are considerably li<jflit- ened, when yon hny yonr kitchen hard- ware from us. Quality is everythintj where cookin,i^ utensils are concerned, and the hitrh standard of our snoods leaves nothing to be desired. Our prices are as low as it is safe for any one to go.
No, 3258.
twri'iiiCHT I***
Have a Lawn
Like Velvet
by getting a mower that cuts the grass evenly and smoothly without hacking it. Paying a trifle more for the best gives you satisfaction that you could not find in a cheaper grade. A single look will show you the merits of the one we want to sell vou.
No. 3259.
Well Hade and Lasting
are the garden imple- ments that we have to sell. They do their work properly. You can not expect to have vour garden in a fine condition un- less you use the best tools. We have the best,' and at reasonable prices.
No. -^260.
Don*t Be Bothered
running after water every time you want it. Get one of our pumps. You will find it a great saver of time and patience. The cost is a small item compared with the trouble and time it will save vou.
No. 3261.
ConR.\(itJT 1*9
You Can't Do Good Work
with poor tools. If thev are worn out, and need replacing, let us do it for you We carry a large stock of the best tools that you can buy. If you want your work to speak well for you, get your tools from us.
No. 3262.
Well Equipped
stables are those that have a good supply of the smaller articles such as we keep in this hardware store. Quality is the essential point, and if you want goods that will wear well and do their work properly, come to us.
No. 3263.
ccpYR/(,Hr-l89
Our Assortment
of knives is a very extensive one. Every knife that we have in stock has been carefully selected, and is made of well-tempered steel. We pay as much attention to the smaller things in our stock as we do to the larger ones. If you need a good, serviceable knife, come to us.
No. 3264.
COPTRtCHT
Wringers That Wring Dry.
What 's the use of owning the kind that spread and leave the clothes almost as wet they were before ? Buy our kind — the other kind.
No. 3265
^^ii-^»>
The Dread of
Summer Cooking
can be done away with by the use of a gasoline stove. We will have many hot days yet, and if you value your health and comfort, get one of our stoves. The prices are reasonable. The satisfaction that you will get out of one week's use will more than pay the cost.
No. 3266.
coi>v«iftH' iC3.
Trusty Tools
are the mechanic's best friends. We talk "best-tempered steel " all the time, for you can not keep a good edge on a poorly tempered tool. Our tools cost no more than the other kind.
No. 3267.
No Trouble To Cook
if you have one of the stoves. It is truly a gem, for it is
no trouble to get it to the right heat, and keep it there. Then, it is so handsome that you can't help falling in love with it at first sight.
Nc. 326S.
A Paint for Each Surface.
We don't believe in a cure-all paint. We have a specially prepared paint for tin surfaces; another for rough wood sur- faces; a third fur smooth wood surfaces, and so on. Quality always the best ; prices as low as possible.
No. 3269.
^ ->- C0P1KICMT
A Good Range and
Plenty of Utensils
will dissipate miicli of the unpleasantness of kitchen work. The work of the girl or the wife should be made as pleasant as possible when so little money will do it.
No. 3270,
OOP/RlCyHT
Much Surer Than Klondike
are the gains you '11 make by buying good hardware from us. The only certain way of getting wealthy is to save, and the only certain way of saving is to buy the best.
No. 3271.
Winter Is Coming,
and the cold weather is all right as long as you are out of doors. In your homes, however, you want to be snug and warm. One of our heat- ers will make your living rooms comfort- able and cozy. The prices aie easy.
No. 3272,
"Good Tools."
We have a tool for every purpose. We get the improvements as fast as they are made. Good workmen come to us when they want something reliable. Good housekeepers come to us for the few tools that ought to be in every well-regulated house.
We are headquarters for all sorts of builders' hardware.
No. .-^27.
*' Straight Goods"
"on the Square."
Those are two eminently suitable mot- toes for a hardware store, and they are the ones on which we run our busmess. Whatever you get here will be absolutely reliable, and the price you pay for it will be a "square" price, just enough to allow us a living profit, and no more. We are in no special hurry to get rich. All we want is a reasonable margin on the best goods we can buy.
No. 3274.
Making a Stove
is an operation that requires a great deal of capital, and quite a lot of brains. It is the proper combina- tion of these two things that makes good stoves possible at the ridiculously low prices of to-day.
We get our stoves only from the most prominent and reliable makers -- those who can not afford to send out an imper- fect stove, and whose success in business has proved the efficiency of their product. Don't get along with an old rattletrap when such a small amount of money will get a perfect heater or cooker-
No. 3275
Bad Stoves
let all the smoke come out iuto the room, and all the heat go out through the chimney. Our stoves be- have themselves. The heat comes out into the room. The smoke goes up the chimney. The price will make you smile with satisfaction every time you look at the one you bought from us.
No. 3276.
CO P «"«/ &r*T
A Surprise for the
Kitchen Girl
will prove mutually profitable. A dollar's worth of new tin- ware occasionally will please her more than you iniaj^ine. New little conve- niences are always appreciated, and they do a great deal toward lightening the burdens of the girl whose work is not especially pleasant at best.
No. 3277.
The Turkey Interferes
with the digestion when it is poorly cooked or poorly served. Just take a look about your kitchen, and make a note of the many little things that would save you time and labor, and make your food more appetizing. Then drop in here, and see what a very little money it will take to buy them a if.
♦* Please Shut the Door."
A familiar warning from now until next spring. Make the door keep itself shut. A little pneumatic device that shuts the door quickly but softly, costs but little, and saves fuel, colds, time, and temper. It's weather-strip time, too. Weather strips are cheap, but they keep the cold out and the heat in. These and other winter hardware needs can be supplied here for a very small cost.
No. 3279.
The Skating Season
is at its height in F'eb- ruary. The boy who does n't get those skates pretty soon won't get much good out of them this year.
The boy's parents who come here for the skates will get a splendid pair of solid, dependable, steel skates at less money than similar qualities ever cost before.
No. 3280.
Somebody Said,
in explanation of the rather incredible tale that George Wash- ington once threw a silver dollar across the Potomac, that "a dollar would go a great deal farther in those days than now."
That may be true in some cases, but not at this store. There never was a time when a dollar would buy so much thoroughly good and reliable hardware as it will now, and here.
No. 3281.
The Ideal Range
is the
Its
price is $ . Reasonable? Well, we
should say soigCome, look at it, and you will say so, too. It is one of the handsomest ranges you ever laid eyes on, and it has all the improvements.
No. 3282.
Get a New One.
Don't try to make that old, unsatisfac- tory, coal-devouring range last through another winter. Come in and see our new stove stock, and see what a good range you can get for a very little money. It will save its cost in fuel in very short time.
No. 3283.
The Approach of Winter
calls attention to the deficiencies of the cook stove. If you need a new one, or a stove for any room in the house, you can not do better than to select it from our stock. We believe we have the best line of stoves that money can buy, and we know that our prices will save money for you.
No. 3284
Time to Buy Stoves.
The weather has already called your attention to your stove needs.
We want to call your attention to the fact that nowhere else can those needs be so satisfactorily and economically met as here.
Here are some facts and figures to prove it: —
No. 5700.
Some Hardware
stores are satisfied to have their wares judged by appearances, and pin their faith on shine and polish. Our satisfaction consists in giving our customers the best hardware that it is possible to sell for the money, and our sales have told us that we have the right ideas.
No. 5701.
>PYRI<iMT, <•»
Our Garden Implements
are second to none. We will sell you a lawn mower with self- sharpening blades, that costs no more than you would pay for a second-rate mower at another store. So smiple, a child can use it.
No. 5702.
The Practical flechanic
wants practical tools, for practical work. The tools we sell will be found to be everything that the most exacting workman could expect. We be- lieve in selling the best hardware we can get, at prices our customers think they ought to pay.
No. 5703.
The Economical
Housekeeper
has learned the lesson that unreliable house-furnishings are dear at anv price and that the best is cheapest in the' end. Best with us means what it says, and Best costs here what you would have to pay for dusters that do not dust, brooms that do not sweep, and other things that wear their usefulness out in record time.
No. 5704.
Window Screens
That Really Protect
you from the flies and other summer pests are the sort of screens you want. Made to fit your window snugly, do not warp, nor crack, nor wear at the edges of the wire netting — that 's the sort of screen we sell at the price of the fall-to-pieces kind.
No. 5705.
\ CO.'^fCCHT. ,89
Portable Lawn
Sprinklers
that will do the work of a hose where a hose might be found in- convenient. Cost very little in com- parison with the service rendered, and are made to withstand the roughest handling and most constant use.
No. 5706
Honestly Made
Wheelbarrows
can always be depended upon to bring an honest price. Paying a little more than you pay for unreliable barrows will give you many times the service of the other sort. Each piece of hardware we sell bears the stani]) of hon- est value, and buying here means satisfac- tion that is out of ths question with cheaper goods.
No. 5707.
rierchanics* and
Builders' Attention
is called to the uniform quality of our high-grade hardware. Al- ways the same, and alwa3's the best that experience can produce or money buy. There is money saving in the added length of service in the hardware 30U buy here.
No, 5708.
You Will Save Money
by buying your hard- ware here. We do not brag of cut-throat prices, but we can boast of quality that materially adds to the value of what we sell. Do not take our word for this. It won't cost a cent to satisfy yourself that we speak the truth.
No. 5709.
Cooking Comfort for
Little Money.
Why swelter over a red-hot coal fire, when you can do your cooking with one of our gas stoves ? It is a gem. It gives you the heat just where you want it most, and only when you want it. No smoke, no smell, no dirt, no cinders — nothing but satisfaction, and at half the price you pay for coal .
No. 57 C'.
A Few Tools
will do a great deal toward keeping your house and its ap- pointments in good condition, to say nothing of the expense saved in carpen- ters' bills. Our line of tools is complete. They are well made, and proper work can be done with them. It is false economy to buy a cheaply made article.
No. 5711,
COf-"<ICiHT- 189
Let Us Explain
to you the advantages which the machinery that we are selHng has over that of other makes on the market. All the machinery we sell is as simply constructed as possible. Conse- quently it costs less than more compli- cated designs, and is more trustworthy.
No. 5712.
Every Tool
that we carr}' in stock is made of thoroughly well tempered steel. There is nothing so irritating to the workman as to have his tools dull frequently. There is good money value in every bit of hardware that we sell.
No. 5713.
Take a Look at
Our Stock
if you want anything in the hardware line. We can meet every wish in this direction, our stock is so complete. Do not worry about the prices. We give full value for your money.
No. 5714.
CodRitWT (t9
Oil Cups
are small things, but the}- play as important a part in our stock of hardware as the larger goods. INIen who are reliable workers alwa3's want the best, and this is the place to get it. Hon- est goods at honest prices here.
No. 5715.
CuFii>iiHr - lev
Successful
Ice-Cream Making
proper kind of
depends upon the a freezer. Our
freezer will freeze your cream in half the time the ordinary kind takes. It does n't require much exertion to work it. You can save many a dollar by making your own cream — to sav nothing of your health.
No. 5716.
Cofix'^"''^
Well=Tempered Steel
is the secret of the suc- cess of most hardware. There is more poorly tempered steel — consequently easily breakable tools— on the market than you would suppose. Well-tempered steel costs no more than the other kind.
No. 5717.
The Time to Strike
is while the iron is hot.
The time to buy the hardware you need is when prices are low and unlikely to be low^er.
Do you think you '11 ever see a time when thoroughly good, reliable goods will sell for prices lower than these ? —
No. 57i^.
The Cooking Stoves
we are selling make the preparation of your meals an easy matter. They will give the required heat quickly and steadily.
No. 5719.
Kitchen Utensils
cook
that will make your smile all over. vStrong, shining,
conveniently shaped utensils with all the little improvements that count, and small prices that count, too.
No. 5720.
The Honesty
of Our Paint
is patent to any user after one trial. We thoroughly test a paint before we place it on sale. In everything we sell, we use the same rule: " Satisfy a customer."
No. 5721.
90P«(RiCh4
The Pride of the Household.
A good stove is a thing of which to be proud; its cooking qualities to be praised, its convenience to be commended. Our stoves find true friends in every house- hold.
No, 5722
Builders' Materials.
We make a specialty of selling evety- thing to builders, in the way of hardware. We know that what goes into a house must be of the best material. We know that the comfort and pleasure of the oc- cupant of the house depends on the ease with which the door shuts and swnngs and locks; upon the soundness of the roof, and even upon the quality of the nails that are used in its construction. \Ve are careful bu3^ersand sellers, and that is why we ask you to come to us.
No. 5723.
^^>^
CoPf RiCHT - l8*il
Tools of all Trades
are sold here in such good qualities and at such reasonable prices that the first purchase rarely fails to make us a constant customer. We buy carefully, we are good judges of metal, we know whether the mechanical work on a tool has been done well, and most of all, we have the courage to refuse to buy an inferior article, even though we could make more money in selling it.
No. 5724.
Kitchen Conveniences.
In this store there are half a hundred Uttle things that would make your house- work easier.
Their cost is infinitesimal.
We can't mention them at all.
Best way is to come in and wander around the store. You '11 see a dozen things you need, and you can get the whole dozen for a dollar or two.
No. 5725.
Odd Job Tools.
Every house should have a hammer, and a saw, and a hatchet, and a good as- sortment of nails, etc. Three or four dollars' worth of these things will save many dollars in course of a year.
No. 5726.
Our Stoves
will warm 3'ou just by looking at them — they are so cheery and handsome. No home can afford to be without them, for they are good to the notch of perfection and low priced.
No. 5727.
"In the Dark.*'
If you buy hardware "in the dark "— don't know much about it — vou'd better come to a store that would'n't risk its reputation for fair deaHng by selHng you anything untrustworthy.
No. 5728.
The Great Question
nowada3's, is how to save the dollars. If you '11 let us fill vour hardware wants the" question mark 'will disappear and you '11 have most of your dollars left. Money saving is our strong- est point. A long experience has taught us how to buy savingly, and we divide the saving with you.
No. 5729.
COPKf?l&HT-_
Skate Time
is at hand, and we have skates to suit the tastes and purses of all the devotees of that fascinating and healthful sport. Skates for men and women, boys and girls; from the modest affairs for the youthful beginner to the highly finished, keen-edged "racers." All are the best of their kind, carefully selected, and marked to the lowest pos- sible price notch.
Don't forget the skates when you are making up your Christmas shopping list.
No. 5730.
Heat and FueI=Savers.
How long are you going to ' ' get along with that old cook stove, that burns more fuel than a furnace and heats the out- doors more than it does the oven ?
A very little money will buy one of our handsome cook stoves — you '11 save the price in fuel in one season. It will keep the heat where it ought to be, and cook your food as it ought to be cooked. Come in and examine them.
No. 5731
To be Comfortable
in summer, screen doors and windows are an absolute neces- sity.
Get ready. The season of flies and mosquitoes is here.
We have the screens, all ready for im- mediate use.
These are the modest prices : —
No. 107.
The Busiest
Han in Town
always has time to keep tab on our bargains, and take ad- vantage of them. That 's because of his shrewdness and business capacity. That 's the result of the disposition that makes him the busiest man in town. How about yourself ?
No. 9510.
Don't Buy Blindly.
Prices vary, and qualities vary, and one who puts too much confidence in the average merchant will pay too much as a rule. Of course that is n't the case at our store. We are not average merchants. But we don't ask you to take our word for everything. We want you to examine goods thoroughly, and make careful com- parisons.
No. 9516.
The Only Merchant
on Earth
is a myth. We don't claim any such thing for ourselves, but we do claim (and can prove it positively) that no other merchant anywhere can sell our quality of goods at lower prices than ours. We sell at absolutely the lowest possible figures.
No. 9522.
5ome Editorials Carry
A Good Deal of Weight
because they present logical arguments.
Our advertisements carry a good deal of weight because we don't claim any- thing inconsistent. We never sell an eleven-dollar article for I1.99. vSome ad- vertisers claim to do such rash things, but they don't do it. And most people don't believe any such nonsense.
No. 9523.
Occasionally One
Meets a Liar.
He may be a gentleman of leisure, or he may be a man with hardware to sell. Better not swallow anything whole in either case.
When you need anything in the hard- ware line' you can depend upon getting the biggest possible values at our store. We never misrepresent anything.
No. 9526.
c
»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
rn
Some People Will Go
To a ** Bankrupt " Sale
and buy all sorts of goods because thev are said to be cheap. And thev pav dearly for the whistle. " Bankrupt " 'goods are generally made especially for "bankrupt" sales. They are the 'poorest goods at the highest prices. Our regular goods at our regu- lar, low prices are the most profitable to buy under any and all circumstancesv
No. 9555.
We Are flaking
A Big, Deep Cut
on everything in our store. We want to reduce our stock be- fore inventory time.
Lots of odds and ends going at cost, and below.
We don't do this kind of business very often, but when we do it means some- thing.
Here are samples of our prices : —
No. 9559.
Some People Have
A Good Deal of Money,
but they don't like to pay fancy prices any better than poor people. And they don't have to when they buy at our store. We treat all peo- ple exactly alike. We treat all people the best we can. We sell on the closest possible profits — closer than other deal- ers consider possible.
No. 9564.
This Is Our Busy Day.
And it 's just like the other five l)usiness days in the week. We are busy every day because we do business on the proper, modern business basis. We buy and sell for cash. We make very small profits, and lots of them.
We want to see you on one of our busy days. We are never too busy to take the proper care of our customers.
No. 9566.
*\ ^3^ V^%^ ^?^
talk:
An Example Will Do Hore
Than Columns of Talk.
We don't weary people with talk about great values that we don't really have. The people who say too much about their low prices, but never mention a price, need watching — or avoiding.
Here's an example: —
( Prices. )
No. 9570.
Barnum Said Something
About Humbugging People,
and it seems as if the vast majority of merchants took him seriously. They were led to believe that humbugging is the proper thing. But we know better. We never imposed upon any one to the extent of a single red copper. And therein lies all the secret there is about our great success.
No. 9573.
A First=rate Rule
to make is to always buy at our store. Not because we say so, but because most everybody else says so. Ask any one of our great army of customers what he thinks about us. We never have an^'thing to cover up, and we are always glad to have our customers do lots of talking about us.
No. 9577.
It 's Hard for Some flerchants
To Push Business Along
because they don't keep the right goods and are not wiUing to sell on the small profits that modern times demand. But that is n't the case with us. Our business rolls on smoothly all the time, because we conduct it as our customers like to have it conducted.
No. 9594.
Don't flake a Rush
For a Bargain Sale
unless you are sure it is a genuine bargain sale. You'll lose money if you do.
Sornetimes we have clearance sales and offer big bargains. It is a business neces- sity occasionally. But it is n't necessary very often in' the hardware business. And people who have too many "bar- gain ' ' sales should be avoided.
No. 9597-
We Have a Big Store
And a Big Business.
We have the big store because we have the big business, and we have the big business because we treat customers just exactly as they want to be treated. We sell at low prices. We have no second- class goods. We make prompt deliveries. We have a wonderfully complete stock of the newest kind of new goods.
No, 9598.
There Is No Royal
Road to Wealth,
but there is a chance for every one who practises economy. By buying from us you '11 practise excel- lent economy. Never under any circum- stances will' vou pay more than others charge, and about ninety-nine times out of a hundred you '11 save anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars.
WEIGfl
wmat
YOU
DUY-
IT—
9432
9435
9433
9436
|
/^ |
^ |
||
|
f \ |
r |
^ |
|
|
-"-^^ |
|||
|
w |
M |
||
9434
9457
9450
9451
9453
9452
9455
Bwm.
^■yMDEPT-
9471
9425
9428
Immnnr ilmrnronirr 4 u OU-!j-|L I .|i -ULiUiJUIJ '
9429
^A^frmor^
9426
9430
9427
9431
9439
9443
^^
9446
9449
Catch-Lines and Headings
CLIPPED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.
Some people think we have a good many "side issues " for a hard- ware store — bicycles, paints, guns and accessories, etc. And that's the reason we sell so cheaply. We don't increase our running ex- penses by carrying these goods, but we do increase our business, and give our customers the benefit of it.
Remember that we sell just the grade of gasoline that you should use in that stove we sold you. Some grades are not suitable. If you buy from us, you will get the proper grade every time.
We are the only dealers in the city who show a good assortment of left-handed shears. People can harden themselves to almost any- thing, but it is unwise for any left-handed person to endure the dis- comfort of right-handed shears.
Have a great big thermometer in your sitting-room — one that you can read across the room. You '11 keep the temperature more uniform if you have one, and the reward will be less colds.
We have various grades of rat traps. If you can't fool I\Ir. Rat with one kind, you surely can with another kind.
Mr. Engineer, when you want gaskets, or water gauges, or valves, or steam gauges, remember that a first-class hardware store has them^ and that ours is a first-class one.
We have razors — all kinds of razors. A dollar will buv a good, re- liable one, but we advise you to pay $ for our famous' brand.
This cut in price won't affect the goods any, but it will alter peo- ple's ideas about what they can afford to buy.
Give your lawn a daily shower bath. We '11 furnish the whole equipment necessary at a very moderate price.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
There are a good many kinds of garden hose, at plenty of kinds of
prices, but our cents-a-foot grade is the best proposition on the
niaiket.
Our phinibers and tinners can do pretty nearly everything in the way of rejxiir work. Tliey haven't tried to repair watches nor broken hearts, but they have done everything else that we can think of. Tele- phone us whenever anything goes wrong.
In our tinware department you can find about anything in that line that was ever conceived. But, if you shouldn't, remember that there is nothing that can not be made to order in our tinshop.
We store coal stoves during the summer. We will take yc-urs any time you say so. We will polish it, and return it, and set it up, and start the fire in it, immediately upon the receipt of your request to do so. For this service we charge $ .
Some time Mr. Burglar will drop in on you, unexpectedly and in- formally, and you '11 wish you had .bought one of those high-grade revolvers that we called your attention to the other day.
Why don't you put in an electric door bell ? That old-fashioned bell you have doesn't ring half the time, and you fail to hear it about every other time it does ring. An electric bell can be put anywhere you want it, and never fails to work. $ will equip you.
Young electrical experimenters should come to us, when they want insulated copper wire, or iron bars for magnet cores, or batteries, or tools of any sort.
Why not have a burglar alarm system in your house. The cost is very moderate, and it may .save lives and property. It will certainly make you feel better protected. We will furnish the outfit, and put it in for you. Ask for an estimate.
This hardware store isn't exactly a sporting goods .store, too, but it conies dangerously close to it. We have guns, revolvers, ammuni- tion, fishing tackle, and lots of other similar g<ods. We '11 order anything you want if we don't have it in stock.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Bicycles are a " side issue " with us, aud that's just exactly the reason'why we can sell you a high-Krade wheel cheaper than any ex- clusive bicvcle store can. Our running expenses^ are not increased one cent by putting in bicycles.
Down in our basement vou will find band iron, and bar iron, and bars of tool steel, in all sort^ of sizes and shapes. When you need anything of this sort, come to us. If you only want a piece of iron a foot long, we '11 be glad to cut it off for you.
Up in our tinshop, on the second floor, we have wire — all sorts and sizes of wire. Copper, iron, steel, brass, and Gemian silver wire. In copper we have various sizes of insulated as well as bare wire. We sell any kind in any quantity.
Some people buy paints at paint stores, some at drug stores, and a good manv come to our hardware store for them, because we have ab- solutelv tlie best in the world. They cost a trifle more than some paints,'but they are worth a great many times a trifle more.
Judge us by the way our goods last — not merely by how little they cost you. We do business on a long-range basis.
Our prosperitv is the result of a carefully built reputation. It has taken a long time to build it. Those who make extravagant clanns in their efforts to get our business away from us, don't seem to realize that our customers are a class that have big broad minds of their own — the class capable of thinking and judging accurately.
There are rakes and rakes, and our rakes. The difference between our rakes and most rakes lies in ihe quality — not in the price.
We generally compete with all competitors on prices, but we never cut qualities for the sake of cutting prices.
The prices of our ranges range from the size or your pocketbook to the size of vour neighbors' pocketbooks — the neighbor who is more than well-to-do, as well as the one who wishes he were.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
These freezers freeze at the rate of about a mile a minute. And I each is dangerously close to a zero price.
You have no gas in the house, and you are afraid of gasoline, and there you are, cooking the dinner slowly and yourself rapidly for the
want of a $ oil stove. You are not afraid of kerosene. The only
reason you haven't one of these stoves is because you know too much about other oil stoves. The difference is just right.
If you think vou get too much exercise with that old lawn mower,
vou probablv think about right. Buy a mower, and you will
find lawn mowing nearly as pleasant as riding a bicycle. This famous mower costs $ .
We usually advise graniteware, but if you want something cheaper, we '11 sell vou the best grade of tinware. And we sell the best grade at about the same prices as the five-and-ten cent-second-quality stores charge.
Most ice tongs are about twentv-five cents too cheap to work well. This lot is all right, and is the cheapest kind because it is the best kind.
Mr. Builder, don't buy your hardware piecemeal. We know that you never intend to do so, but we also know that you get into the habit of it, more or less. Figure out as nearly as possible what you are going to use for several months in advance, and we'll give you a rattling good estimate.
Just because we say lots of nice things about our hard coal, base burner stoves, don't think for a moment that we don't believe in fur- naces. We sell furnaces, and put them in, and guarantee them, and charge the lowest p( ssible prices for them. But a hard-coal stove is a good thing, and it 's cheaper than a furnace.
Don't borrow Smith's rake, and Jones's hoe, and Brown's spade, and White's wheelbarrow. vSmith, and Jones, and Brown, and White, may do just such things as that, but you can't afford to. These things cost but a very little.
Rememljer about that ])lumber of ours when you want any plumb- ing done. Remember lliat we guarantee his work. We guarantee it to be better than that of aiiv other ]jlumber. We furnish the plumber and the supplies, and when the job is done we charge less than any one else in the city charges.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Now see here, Mr. So-and-so, every time you sjkmuI ten dollars for coal you s])end about five dolla'-s too much — five dollars more than is at all necessary — and yet you are always kicking about ex])enses. That old coal stove is what is playinj:^ the mischief. About twenty- five dollars for a new one would save that five dollars on the coal bill everv little while.
The coal dealer doesn't like our coal stoves any better than an ice dealer likes cold weather. But economical people like our coal stoves, as they cut down fuel expenses about fifty per cent, lower than the general run of stoves.
A good gas stove will do any kind of cooking that any stove will do. It will do it just as well as any and in some cases better. But it won't cook the cook. This is gas-stove weather.
A gas stove isn't a luxury. You can't make any such excuse to your wife. It is a necessity — an absolute necessity — during the hot weather, and it is very often very convenient in cold weather. We have lots of them at various prices.
Our meat chopper does the work of chopping bowl and knife in one-tenth part of the time, with infinitely less labor and much more perfectly. No quantity too small for chopping, there being no waste left in the chopper. The time required for cleaning is too trifling to be considered. The housekeeper is enabled to prepare a great variety of wholesome, tasty, inexpensive dishes which without the Food chopper would be beyond her time and strength.
Seeds and Mowers are on almost all shopping memos, these days. We have a large assortment of vSeeds. Also the best kinds of Lawn Mowers, that cost all the way from $2 to |r2. A good plan to buy both these articles here.
For every dollar you spend here you'll get a good honest dollar's worth. Try us and see if that " stepped-on appearance" your pocket book has won't be gradually dissipated.
Lawn Mowers, easy runners, durable, and equal in every respect to many higher priced machines. You can't afford to have a poorly kept lawn with mowers at present prices.
Good razors at 50 cents each. Not "half-dollar" razors, by any means.
THE HARDWARI^ BOOK.
"Bkst." — With a full reali/.atioii of what that word " best " means, we print it here in bit^, bold type, to save words in properly describinj^ onr new plumbing and heating ])lant.
PoCKKT Knivks. — Knives big and Knives little! Jack knives! Truning knives! Knives with scissors, nail files, corkscrews, and other useful pieces. Plain, every-day pocket knives, wood, stag, ivory, pearl, silver, and gold handles — with two, three, and four blades.
Vapor Bath Cabinet. The use of vapor baths, both medicated and plain, has come t ) be recoguized by the medical fraternity as one of the most effective ways of treating rheumatism, kidney disea.ses, ner- vous troubles, cold, catarrh, and kindred ailments. But besides their health-giving value, vapor bath cabinets afford one of the most cleans- ing and delightful methods of ordinary bathing.
Self-basting broiler — a broiler that broils and bastes perfectly and retains the juice of the meat. The corrugated bars do it — hold the juice till you turn the broiler, and then the meat is basted on one side while the other is broiling. Then you turn it again and again, and the work is done .... A special display of a patented hard fiber ware that has man}- points of goodness peculiar to itself. Each piece is seamless — the ordinary kinds have seams. This ware is pressed out from pulp in one piece; it is light and elastic, yet impervious to heat or moisture; will not shrink or swell; will not taint the contents; has no hoops, no paint, no varnish; can not leak or rust.
Household Hardware — Every home is needing some kind of hardware all the time. When you get a fresh supply of some things, you find you are just out of the others. There is a constant wear and tear on household hardware, and it keeps you busy replenishing. All these we have in the best qualities and at the lowest prices, as well as the thousand and one other things generally to be found in a first- class hardware store. Whatever you may refjuire in the way of hard- ware, here is the place to get the best for the least money.
House full of flies? Well, get rid of them. Screen your doors and windows, and that is the last of them. We have a very good stock of screens, and our prices will surely be satisfactory.
Don't Get So Hot. Instead of running your stove at full blast. and heating up your whole house by having your ironing done on the stove, get a charcoal furnace. It is more economical in that it saves the stove as well the fuel, and is convenient for boiling the clothes, ironing, preserving, and a certain amount of cooking. Your neigh- bors are using them and like them. We have them in three sizes.
THE HARDWARK BOOK.
Ick-Crkam at IIoMiv is an easy matter if you have a freezer. Our freezer is the strongest built, longest wearing, easiest to operate, freezes fine-grained cream quickl>-. Cost a little more than some cheap freezers — all best things do. All family and hotel sizes.
" Ati,antic City " Breezks brought right into your store or office by means of little electric fans. It's the only way to "beat the heat " of Washington Summers.
Heating stoves to take off the chill before .starting the larger fire, or heat the room the furnace doesn't seem to reach in zero days.
People like to trade where there is an assortment of goods and not be continnallv told that "we don't carry them." We do! We have a bigger as.sortment of hardware than probably any other house in North Texas. We have a big store, three of them in fact, and they are full of goods.
It 's a part of our business to get parts for any stove, heating, or cooking, and to put the parts in place. All we want, in order to get the proper parts promptly, is the name and number of the stove, the maker's name, and the dates of manufacture and patent. Bring us these, and we'll do the rest — get the repairs, and put them in if you want us to. Perhaps a little stove cement is all your stove needs in order to serve vou through the winter. We sell stove cement — we applv it rightlv and reasonably, or you can easily do it yourself.
A Gold Seeker needs an outfit, no matter where he " prospects." Whether he digs in the Klondike or in his own fields, some imple- ments are necessary. As up-to-date dealers in hardware, we are pre- pared to supplv outfits for use at home and abroad.
Worn, Wkary Women who must" cook, and bake, and iron all through the long, hot summer, will find there 's no helper quite so helpful as a good blue flame oil .stove.
With the (k-m blue flame oil stove there's no unnecessary heat to bear — it's readv for use in less than five minutes after lighting, and, after the work is done, the turn of a lever stops heat and expense.
Economy in Coal means the saving of a good many dollars in not a verv long time, either. A gas stove is the best economizer we know anvthing about. It not onlv saves on the coal bills, but it saves you lots of work, and is cleaner and niuch better in every way than the ordinary way of heating and cooking by coal.
THH HARDWARI': BOOK.
The passin^L; of liiiwaix- into llic realm of lias-heens is now a reality. A few years aj^o a tin teakettle was worth a dollar, and to-day we are enabled to offer von a jj^ranite teakettle for $\ .
Tools that keep the workman's temjier from s^ettinj< rnffled. and prevent bad work.
Thk LiTTH FiA' is always looking for tronble — always trying to crawl throngh the screens and in a good many cases succeeds in get- ting through. He finds a stumbling-block when he tries to get through the kind of screens that we are selling at reduced prices. Don't want to carry them over, and have therefore made the price so low that they are bound to sell.
Don't Heat Yourself by Freeztx(; your ice-cream in a machine that requires a large amount of labor.
We carry an assortment of very fine car\'ers, some that will cut, and if you contemplate making a wedding or birthday present there 's nothing nicer. They 're nice to give your wife on her birthday, be- cause you can use them vourself. Like getting a silk waist from her on yoiir own birthday. But nearly all ladies appreciate pretty things for the table.
Without being pumped we'll gladly tell you all about the best kind of pumps for various uses. We sell all sorts of good pumps, and our workmen know how to put them in .so they '11 work to your entire satisfaction.
Merit is the basis of our success in fly bars ; only the best, and no other. Fancy light finished doors that have the wire cloth .set in even with the frame ; alike on both .sides ; a double center rail with row of ornamental spindles ; curved corners, nicely molded on the edge.s ; frames firmly mortised ; every inch a screen door ; a door that will stand the slaniming a screen door is expected to get through a number of sea.sons.
The Buzzixg Mosquito ! Prepare for the mosquitoes. They are coming thick and fast. You know the re.st.
Axi. FOR A Dime. A spade, hoe, and rake for the " kids " to play in the sand with. Or you can use them among the flowers. Nothing better to use in the onion and beet beds.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
It 'S Gktting Warm. Buy summer goods now. Our ini])roved gas stove is a perfect cooker. It is a large, handsome, strong, and well-made flush-top gas stove, mounted with nickel-plated trimmings, on high, strong legs, not eciualed anywhere at our price, fS.
GivK Us KxERCiSK. It 's good for our health. We are experts in climbing tall ladders. Don't hesitate to ask to see something because it 's on ihe top shelf. We are willing to pull our goods down to show and explain whether you wish to buy or not. Original agate sauce- pans, and kettles with metal covered bottoms, can't be found in every hardware store. Ask to see them.
" b:vp:R-READY " Lawn Mowers. Another old friend returns with spring. For eight or ten years these reliable "Ever-Ready" lawn mowers have been clipping Rochester lawns. Several improve- ments make this vear's model better than ever. High wheels, cross- bar protector — can cut up to a tree without raking the bark — each wheel geared independently of the other, adjustable knife, reel, and roller. A mower that may be readily adjusted .for work under any conditions.
Our suggestion on the screen-door question for this season. How would it be if as fast as house-cleaning is done you would put in the fly screens, and hang the screen doors? Mr. Fly would then, at least, be cheated of his delight in spoiling clean picture frames, and mirrors, and other bric-a-brac. He would not have as good a chance to get settled in the kitchen, and dining-room, and then slip and hide away in cracks and corners when you were ready to chase him out for the summer. Wouldn't you feel more content when tired with liouse- cleaniug as you stopped to sav, "Oh, my, I 'm glad that job is done," if you didn't have to sit and see the flies crawHiig over your nicely cleaned walls? We'd rather do your work now, that is, if you want us to hang a door or two, while we are attending to others, than do it later on. We aren't so busv now. Everything is new. We won't have to hurry so. We can do a better job. Just as you say, though. Use your own pleasure about the time to have it done as it suits you best. This is simply a suggestion.
Everv satisfaction minus every drawback. The best values hunian hands can bandit^. When cautious speakers make utterances it is time and wise to listen. When honest merchants give values and sell bargains in those values it is time and wise to heed. Such are the conditions of this .sale.
There '11 be a hot time in your ])arlor if you buy one of our heaters
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
r'lastic dollars are what every economical housekeeper likes, and we make 3 our dollars stretch doubly far by offerin^^ special bari(ains.
Will our customers be ]>leased ? That is the question that decides all ars^uments in our store. When we buy and when we sell, when we select qualities and make prices, that is the question we ask our- selves. The pleasini^ of our customers is the first object to be attained. If anything does not please you, let us know, and we will make it right.
There 's a top notch in the public favor that we will try hard to reach. Not by any trickery or fal.se advertising, but by plain state- ments of store facts, and have the goods at the price when you come.
The strong, steady, direct heat of the gas range works wonders if used rightly.
Vou '11 learn more about ranges than you ever heard of or dreamed
of before. The is not a dream — it's a cast-iron fact, with
nickel fixings.
" Out of sight, out of mind" applies to roofs, gutters, conductors, etc. We would suggest a thorough examination of them to ascertain if thev are water-ti.tfht for winter wear.
Some of us can remember away back to the first knife ! Had a jaw- bieaker of a name — Westenholm — ^ but we never forj^ot the I. X. L. Never had anything since that caused .so much real joy as that knife, (id we? It was a good one then and it 's just as good to-day. We sell them.
If
you miss this sale, you'll be a long time forgiving yourself for it.
Pointing the way. That's the mission of our advertising; the store nm.st do the rest. If we ])oint right, if we are in earnest and honest in our public announcements, if our merchandise and methods invite your confidence, then the road, the well-beaten track, leading direct to our doors and traversed by hundreds of the buying ])ublic hereabouts, will become a familiar road to you. There's economy at the end of it. Moneys aving .satisfaction confronts you at every turn when once vou cross the threshold of this store.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
An ounce of reality is worth a ])oini(l of romance, and the reahty of our advertised vahies is usually recognized.
Bids for business. ]\Iaybe you '11 hear of lower bids. Maybe you '11 buy at lower fij.(ures than these. If you do, it will be a disap- pointment to you in the end because you will not find as good quali- ties aL lower prices.
]Many a man might have built up a huge, enduring business if he had been satisfied with a small, steady day-by-day profit on every sale; the houses which nowadays are " big ones" are those which do a big turnover on a small profit. Ours is a big house, with new goods, good goods, at a fair profit.
We don't advertise everything — if we did there never would be any surprise here when you come. Almost every day a special sale. Almost every day something desirable priced down to hurry figures.
Don't stir until you realize that if you go farther you will certainly fair worse. You may not yield readily to persuasion, but you '11 find it difiicult to resist the evidence of your eyes.
These prices are not copyrighted, others are permitted to copy them.
With more deeds and fewer w'ords we propose to keep in the good old path, bringing trade into our store on strictly business lines with >)argains whose money-saving power can be definitely and practically illustrated.
Harvest-time in retail buying. No matter where yon turn, the harvest of unusual values is ready. Midsummer prices are the lowest of the year. Have to be to make stock adjustments quickly. It is n't easy work to inventory a large stock like ours. That 's why we have a sale previous to it.
This is a high-class store in everything but the prices. We are not tr^-ingto see how low we can get the prices, but how great we can get the values.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
It's the ambition of this store to transact business with you on the basisof intrinsic merit. If we don't give you meritorious Koods. meritorious prices, and meritorious treatment, we know our power to briuif you here to buv ceases. We have such unbounded faith in our croods that we sav to'vou: HriiiK them back for your cash if they don t suit von for any reason. These are the honest and honorable methods on which we have built the business.
A dollar is worth just what it will brin^r. if you were stan-iuK on a raft in mid-ocean and luul a barrel of dollars, they would do you no crood So vou see location makes a bi- difference. Now we candidly believe that there is no place in the country where a dollar brinK.s you more real value than at our store. May bring you a larger pile at some stores, but we are not talking about quantities. ^^ e refer to qualities and values. Read this list -there is no exaggeration or bombast about it, but just a few plain statements of facts.
The values we give draw the dollars. Don't try to hold them for better bargains - thev can't be had. There 's no significance in prices. Anvbodv can make a price. A price is a word made of air- ' values are facts " This is our strong inducement — values. Not only do we talk values, but we give values — urging your own comparisons as ju<^ge.
Fire screens will keep baby out of the fire and save your carpets from sparks.
Bier prices are on a vacation here with us, they '11 stay on it, too. we do'i't want them. What does n't suit you does n't suit us we work for what vou want ; the saving you make on what you buy here now will almost pay the price of your vacation.
Have you one or more cows ? If so. what is your purpose in keep- iiicr them ^ Is it vour object to get the most money from them with some comfort and .satisfaction at the same time ? Have you kept pace with the improvements in dairv apparatus? Consider if a separator would pav vou ; if vou could afford a modern churn ; if you could afford to be without an improved butter worker.
To see it-to handle it-tokiiowit is to appreciate this liighlv tempered, genuine, extra hollow ground, high-grade, hand forged steel bari)er razor. Every razor is accompanied with ^ Ruarantee. It is all honed and stropped ready for use. It will hold its edge longer than any razor manufactured.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
We face vour spriii)^ needs with a su])erl) stock that surpasses every nieiiiory and ex])ectati()n. Your nione}- never had such power as it has to-day in this masterfiU store.
This potato slicer cuts four slices as thin as you please at every revo- lution, and with no danger of cutting your fingers. It is nice for slicing apples, and for cocoanut, such as our Greek friends use in their toothsome candy.
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts.
With
Tinie^
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ Expires^
With
Time^_
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ Expires^
Remarks
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts,
jji/h
Ti)ne^ _
Space ^
Price ^
Am 07m t^ _ Expires^ .
With
Tiine^
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ _ Expires^ .
Remarks :
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts.
With
Tinie^ _
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ Expires^
With
Time^
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ Expires^
Remarks
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts.
II V///
Time,
Space ^
Pna\ _
Amomit, _ _ _ _ „ „
Expires^ _ _ ,
With
Time^
Space ^ r.
Price ^ _ _„
Amount^
Expires^ _
Remarks :
THK HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts.
With
Time^ _
Space ^
Price ^ „ -- — ~-
Amount^ ...„ _ -
Expires^
With
Time^
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ _
Expires^
Remarks :
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts,
// 7///
Tivie^
Space ^
Price ^
Anioimt^ Expires^
With
Tinie^
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ Expires^
Remarks
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts.
With „ „
Tinie^ _
Space ^
Price ^
Amount^ „ _ _
Expires^ _ ~
With _._ „ _.._
Tijne^ „ _
Space ^ __
Price ^
Amount^ -
Expires,
Remarks :
THE HARDWARE BOOK.
Record of Advertising Contracts.
irith
Tinie^ _
Space ^
Price ^
Ainoicnf^ ... Expires^ .
With
Time^_
Space ^^
Price ^
Amoiuit^ Expires^
Remarks
Daily Sales and Advertising Record
A concise record of your daily sales and the daily cost of your ad- vertising will be found invaluable. For this purpose the following twelve pages have been arranged. Very little time will be required to keep this record, the form being the simplest possible.
After you have kept it carefully for a few months, you will find that it will indicate with a good deal of certainty just what your advertis- ing is doing for you.
The longer you keep it, the more interesting and valuable it will be- come, and the more incentive there will be to make each month's busi- ness exceed that of the preceding month, or that of the corresponding month of the preceding year.
Try it. Commence with yester- day's sales — not with to-morrow's.
LAST YEAR - JjPLlSttJjPsLT^ Y- THIS YEAR
Total,
SALES
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Advertising), $
INCREASE (Sales), $ DECREASE (Sales). $
LAST YEAR FE::B:R'U"jP5LR.lir - THIS YEAR
Total,
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Advertising), $
INCREASE (Salesj, $ DECREASE (Sales), $
Total.
LAST YEAR l^^T jPl I^ O ti - THIS YEAR ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising), $ INCREASE (Sales), $
DECREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Sales). $
LAST YEAR - jPl IF" R- I L THIS YEAR
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Total,
SALES
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising), $ INCREASE (Sales), $
DECREASE (Adverlising), $ DECREASE (Salesi, $
Total,
LAST YEAR - 3X1 jPl ^^T THIS YEAR
SALES
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising), $ INCREASE (Sales), $
DECREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Sales). $
LAST YEAR - J U Kl E - THIS YEAR
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 i) 10 11 12 13 14 15 I 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Total,
SALES
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising). $ DECREASE (Advertising). $
INCREASE (Sales), $ DECREASE (Sales). $
LAST YEAR -JULY- THIS YEAR
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 S 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Total.
SALES
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising). $ DECREASE (Advertising), $
INCREASE (Sales), $ DECREASE (Sales). $
LAST YEAR -jPlXJGXJST- THIS YEAR
|
SALES |
ADVERTISING |
SALES |
ADVERTISING |
|
|
1 |
||||
|
3 |
||||
|
4 |
||||
|
5 |
||||
|
6 |
||||
|
7 |
||||
|
8 |
||||
|
9 |
||||
|
10 |
||||
|
11 |
||||
|
12 |
||||
|
13 |
||||
|
14 |
||||
|
15 |
||||
|
16 |
||||
|
17 |
||||
|
18 |
||||
|
19 |
||||
|
20 |
||||
|
21 |
||||
|
22 |
||||
|
23 |
||||
|
24 |
||||
|
25 |
- |
|||
|
26 |
||||
|
27 |
, |
|||
|
28 |
||||
|
29 |
||||
|
30 |
||||
|
31 |
||||
|
Total. |
INCREASE (Advertising), $ INCREASE (Sales), $.
DECREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Salesj. $
Total,
LAST YEAR -SEF'THllylBER.- THIS YEAR
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISIN
INCREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Advertising*, $
INCREASE (Sales), $ DECREASE (Sales), $
|
LAST YEAR - OCXOBEI^ THIS YEAR |
||||
|
SALES |
ADVERTISING |
SALES |
ADVERTISING |
|
|
1 |
||||
|
2 |
||||
|
3 |
||||
|
4 |
||||
|
5 |
||||
|
6 |
||||
|
7 |
||||
|
8 |
||||
|
9 |
||||
|
10 |
||||
|
11 |
||||
|
12 |
||||
|
13 |
||||
|
14 |
||||
|
15 |
||||
|
16 |
||||
|
17 |
||||
|
18 |
||||
|
19 |
||||
|
20 |
||||
|
21 |
||||
|
22 |
||||
|
23 |
||||
|
24 |
||||
|
25 |
||||
|
26 |
||||
|
27 |
||||
|
28 |
||||
|
29 |
||||
|
30 |
||||
|
31 |
||||
|
Total, |
INCREASE (Advertising), $ JNCREASE (Sales), $.
DECREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Sales), $
LAST YEAR l<rO\/H:iXEfc3E:R. THIS YEAR
SALES
TotaL
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISINa
INCREASE (Advertising), $ DECREASE (Advertising), $
INCREASE (Sales), $ DECREASE (Sales). $
LAST YEAR- ID HIOElXLIBEiE^ THIS YEAR
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
SALES
Total,
ADVERTISING
SALES
ADVERTISING
INCREASE (Advertising). $ DECREASE (Advertising), $.
INCREASE (Salesj, $ DECREASE (Sales), $
r'h
ARE BOOK
By CHARLES AUSTIN BATES
-^fv