The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1909)

14 Edison Phonograph Monthly, April, 1909 W. G. Thomson, Nelson, B. C— Referring to communication from T. H. Gillan, on page n of Phonograph Monthly for February, in giving something away as a premium with machines or Records, and your comment on it, I fail to see any distinction between that and giving something off the price of machines or Records, or giving Records with machines, or an extra Record with a sale of a dozen Records, or any other form of rebate, or why any Dealer doing such a thing should not be regarded as violating his contract in the matter of rebates or price cutting, and treated accordingly. Would be glad to know what you have to say regarding this. [We did not mean to give the impression that we approved of the practice referred to, for we do not. Giving merchandise of any kind or making any inducement whatever to sell Edison goods is a violation of our price agreement and we are constantly prosecuting cases of this kind. In commenting upon the letter of Mr. Gillan, we intended to say that offering inducements is a species of dishonesty, and dishonest practices do not win out against a Dealer who gives the manufacturer as well as the public a "square deal." The dishonest man may "get away" in a sale of this kind, but the man who benefits by the sale knows that the Dealer has been dishonest and he never again has the same opinion of him that he once had.] F. E. Huffaker, Visalia, Cal. — Can an Edison customer receive the Phonogram for you every month, or are they supplied from Dealers? [We do not mail Phonograms to Phonograph owners unless they pay the subscription price of twenty cents a year to pay postage. Most owners are supplied by Dealers, who buy Phonograms from Jobbers at 25 cents per hundred. This is the price that Jobbers in turn pay for them.] George Frew, Cardington, Ohio — A lady was in my store the other day and I played Record No. 9994, "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming," by the Knickerbocker Quartette, for her. A well-known quartette recently gave a concert in our town and sang the same number. "Why," said the lady, when she heard the Record. "I understood those words ever so much better than I did when I heard it on the stage." Pretty nice compliment, wasn't it. Bernard & Bishop, Reading, Mich. — Can music be made louder by using larger horns? Or which is the best way to furnish music for dances on Edison Machine? [The use of large horns will slightly increase the volume of a Record and this volume ought to be sufficient except for a very large hall.] Hopkins' Bazaar, Redfield, S. D. — Is a local Dealer allowed to prepay the express or freight charges on a Phonograph or Records, providing the same has been sold at full retail price? [This is a matter that we never have attempted to regulate. If, for example, a local Dealer is permitted to deliver Phonographs and Records by means of an automobile or delivery wagon, either of which is an expense to him, we do not see how we can prevent another local Dealer who does not have an automobile or delivery wagon from making his deliveries by means of express or railroad companies. Of course, in all cases, we insist that the goods shall be sold at full retail prices. Therefore, our answer to your question is that a local Dealer is permitted to prepay express or freight charges.] R. E. Sheffer, Gering, Neb. — I have a drug and music store, 25x100. I display the Edison Record list (monthly) on a post in the center of the room, about fifteen feet from the main entrance. Everybody sees it. Charles D. Blaine, San Luis, Osbispo, Cal. — Your Phonograph Monthly is O. K. I look for it anxiously every month. To prove what the Monthly did for me in one instance, will state that a little over a year ago when you gave your dealers exchange of Records, through some error of the postal department, my exchange papers failed to reach me and I knew nothing about the exchange until the Monthly appeared. I had a few days in which to take advantage of the proposition but no papers. I immediately "got busy" and borrowed papers from a dealer who was quitting the business (fortunately for me) and made shipment of my cut-outs and defective Records, the Monthly saved me from carrying that dead stock for another year. Stephens City Furniture Co., Stephens City, Va. — In the Phonograph Monthly for March, Louis Tyler asks, "What is the correct definition of Amberol ?" We would reply in brief — A M-uch B-etter E-dison R-ecord, O-f L-ength. An Aid to the Show Window "Show windows are the 'eyes of the store,' and are supposed to reflect the character of the store," said a prominent merchant. Of what value is it to spend a large amount of money in the preparation of fine window displays and effective newspaper advertisements if people are subjected, inside your store, to discourteous or cold treatment and methods which are at variance with the splendid treatment pictured in your windows and advertisements. I would use every effort within my power to see that folks were not importuned to buy when they only wanted information, and were made to feel at home when they came in. — Exchange.