OCR Text |
Show "INDUCEMENTS" TO KETAILfcRi. SkmIs and Valuable Article Given Fea the Prico of tho Gouds. "Something will havo to be dono to discourage 'inducements' to retailers, declared a wholesale grocer. "A good pure food law could do Eome good. These inducements move the cupidity of tho retailor, and the consumer suffers by having imposed upon him inferiw or adulterated goods. " "What do you mean by induce Monts?" The grocer handed to tho inquirer a handsomely illustrated card on which were the words: "Free with 500 pieces of Jolloppy'a (that's not the namo) chewing gum, the handsome full gilt clock here pictured at a cost to tho retailer of 3 that i3, you get $5 worth of gum at retail and a $a cmoK an ior yj. " "If tmJ manufacturer stopped at chewing gum, the demoralization tc the trade would be slight, but this got aomothing for nothing idea is stimulated stimulat-ed all along the lino. It is bad enough in various lines of tobacco, but in tha lino of ground spices and ooffoe it is absolutely pernicious. It's a lucky con sumer that gets any genuine ground spices now, or any goods that may be cheapened by mixing. Mustard is mixed With sawdust and made hot in the mouth by the addition of cayenne popper. pop-per. So it is with other things. "Here's a catalogue of a manufactur-er manufactur-er who unblushingly labels his book 'absolutely pnro spices. ' There are about 150 different articles named in it as prizes to grocers who buy these snicos in greater or less quantity. Among the Inducements are musical boxes, firearms, fire-arms, furniture of all kinds, stoves, sewing machiuos, store fixtures, show cases, clocks, cyclopedias, bicycles, baby carriages, lawn mowers, mackintoshes, crockery, rngs, silverware, watches and docks, gold hoaded canos, umbrellas, and so on up to delivery wagons and two seated carriages. Hero's the in ducoment in the last named: " 'With 750 pounds ground spices, at-dolutely at-dolutely pure, any assortment of all spice, mustard, ginger, pepper,. cinua mon, cloves, etc., at 25 cents a pound, we givo ono of these carriages free. It other words, 750 pounds of spices and tho carriage all for 6187.50.' "Tho drug trado is afflicted with thli same sort of thing and nerhaps to at great an extent as tho grocery trade. There ought to be some way of hwidinf It off. ""-Indianapolis News. |