The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1916)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, FEBRUARY, 1916 Out Among Our Dealers WHAT THREE MAINE DEALERS SAY Following are extracts from letters written by three Maine Amberola dealers and sent in by Chandler & Co., Bangor: In regard to keeping records; we keep about 500 on hand all the time, picking out what is best suited to our locality each month. These records are kept in a wall case, each slot just the depth of the length of a record, and each slot containing fifteen records; these are arranged and classified according to the artists, which makes it very easy to locate them quickly, and also keeps the records clean and fresh looking. We sell machines mostly on the installment plan; one verv similar to the one laid down in last month's bulletin from the Edison factory. — A. J. Fulton, Prop. Corner Drug Store, Blaine, Me. With reference to my method of pushing the sale of Edison Phonographs, we have no local paper here, so I have to resort to circular letters and personal solicitation. For keeping my records I had a case built at the back end of my store, which holds 1,453 records, and I stamp every kind of phonograph advertising matter that leaves my store with this imprint, "We carry every Edison Record." — E. J. Farnham, Patten, Me. We have no special method of pushing sales. We mail advertising wherever we think it will be of any benefit, and interview personally whenever we see any possibility of being able to interest them. As soon as they appear to be interested enough to warrant it we try to get them to let us put in a machine on trial. We expect to be in position soon to do some slide advertising in the moving picture shows in this vicinity. We use the Rapke tray system for keeping records. — Caswell & Chapman, Harrison, Me. An Amberola dealer in a small town in South Dakota shows an increase of $335 in his instrument and record business for eleven months of 1915 over the entire year of 1914. Another dealer in a small town in Ohio shows an increase of $200 for the same period. Just shows how some dealers are alive to the possibilities of the Amberola. BEST HE EVER HAD I am enclosing sheet out of Phonograph Monthly about cylinder business. I am a little late with this but I have been too busy to attend to it sooner. I am also enclosing copy of some of the advertising that I did during the holidays. My trade for the holidays has been fine; the best I ever had. I sold eight Edisons during December. I also had a fine sale of records. My prospects for 1916 look as though I would do twice the business that I did in 1915. I am going after it harder than ever and expect to make goodT — Lewis G. DuVall, Meadville, Pa. A CLEVER WINDOW ATTRACTION Manager M. M. Blackman, of the Kansas City Edison Shop, headquarters for Edison Phonographs, devised a novel window attraction for the recent holiday crowds. He secured a telautograph and mounted it on an Edison phonograph, the wires running down into the body of the machine and through the window-floor out of sight. An operator, hidden from view, watched the crowds passing and wrote pertinent messages to them on the machine, so that a man with a brilliant necktie or a lady shopper with her arms full of bundles would stop in front of the window and suddenly see a message addressed to them personally appear on the roll of paper in the machine. So completely was the illusion carried out that some spectators seemed to have the idea that the machine was actually a part of a new phonograph that could transcribe whatevei was on a record ! While this idea may seem fantastic, still it is not without the range of possibility that some day a machine may be perfected which will put into written or printed notes whatever may be spoken into it. When making a demonstration, do you ever invite your prospective customer to play the Amberola himself? Wouldn't this give him a more personal interest and bring him into more intimate contact with the instrument and yourself? We think it would help some. Try it. ALWAYS INTERESTED "You might be interested in a window display that we have at present on view," recently wrote A. C. Mandy, manager of the Phonograph Shop, Ltd., Ottawa, Can. "We have in the center of our window a bacnground representing a wall of a room and a fireplace and mantel with pictures, etc., on. In front of this we have a rug spread out and drawn up alongside the fireplace, in which we have the effect of glowing coals. We have an easy chair with a figure of an elderly lady with grey hair, dressed in black, sitting knitting. We have a few little touches of a home around and our whole idea is to feature Edison Blue Amberol Record No. 2762, 'Little Grey Mother.' We have a card in the window reading 'Little Grey Mother,' the newest War Song. Come in and hear it.' This has resulted in creating a good demand for this record, and also of getting people into the store who we have a chance of selling other records to." It is gratifying to note that a California Amberola dealer who also handles a well known make of disc talking machine says the Amberola is his favorite.