Medford mail tribune., July 17, 1938, Page 2, Image 2

The Story of OD and AD
OD and AD wanted to go into business
for themselves. They decided to open
retail stores. But they had different ideas
as to how they should get customers.
This is the story of what happened.
and the
STORES
"IT" if
How OD and AD Opened their Stores
OD believed that the way to get customers was to
sell at low prices, and that the way to sell at low prices
was to keep his expenses down. So he. spent as little as
possible in fixing up his store. He said he was not going
to "waste" money on "trick lighting" and a "fancy
front." He bought large quantities of a jew lines of
merchandise, because that way he got them cheaper.
Then he put an assortment of his goods into the
windows, but because he had done so little to make his
store attractive, jew people noticed that it was a new
store, and jew came in to buy.
AD decided that the first thing he must do was to
make his store attractive to customers. So he had it
painted throughout in cheerful colors. He completely
changed the windows and front, and he put in fixtures
that flooded the whole store with light.
He chose merchandise well-known by name to the
public, and bought smaller quantities of many lines,
thus giving customers a greater selection. He arranged
his stock in the store to make shopping convenient. He
put in window displays of his most interesting mer
chandise and changed them frequently.
Because his windows and his store were so attractive,
many people stopped to look, and enough people came
in to buy so that AD's goods sold quickly and he was
soon ordering more of many items.
How OD and AD went after Customers
ODsoon found that he could not get the customers
he needed from those who passed by his store. So he had
circulars printed and hired boys to distribute them
from house to house. Sometimes they put them under
the door or into the mail box, but often they threw
them on the porch or into the yard, and many were
blown away. Also, OD found it was a slow and costly
way to tell his story, as in a whole day a boy could
cover only a few hundred homes.
OD was disappointed to find that after all this work
and expense, only a few more people came to his store.
AD decided that the more people he could tell about
his merchandise, the more people would come to his
store. So he put advertisements into newspapers read
by many thousands of people every day. He knew
that people were eager to get their newspapers to read
the news. Therefore, his advertising was more likely
to be seen in a paper people wanted to read. Also, the
newspapers were delivered all over the city as soon as
they were printed.
AD found that the more he advertised, the more peo
ple came to his store and the more goods he sold and
the less it cost him to handle each sale. So he passed .
on the greater part of these savings in lower prices
and better values to all his customers.
How OD Failed and AD Succeeded
OD found that so few people came to his store that
his goods moved very slowly. He could buy very little
new stock because his money was tied up. So he de
cided to have a sale.
He had big signs painted for the front of his store.
He had circulars printed and sent boys out to put
them into parked cars and distribute them at homes.
But the people who came saw so little they wanted
that his sale was a failure. At last, he disposed of all
his remaining stock to an out-of-town bargain store
at less than half what he had paid for it.
OD had had a very unhappy experience, but because
he had never advertised in the newspapers, few people
in all the city ever knew that his store had opened or
that it had closed.
AD found that with more and more people now com.
ing to his store, his stocks moved very quickly. As a
result, he was constantly able to have fresh, new mer
chandise for his customers. He concluded that since
people bought newspapers to read the news, he should
tell them the news about his merchandise and his store.
As a result, AD's advertisements were read as eagerly
as any other part of the newspaper. Soon every one
in town knew that AD had the newest things.
AD did not make exaggerated statements in his
advertising. He just made the truth interesting. Repeat
edly AD had to enlarge his store, and employ more
people to take care of his increasing business. And,
although his expenses were now very much greater,
he sold so much merchandise and turned his stocks so
rapidly that his store was very successful and was
known far and wide for the values it gave its customers.
AD Tells OD How Advertising Serves the Store and Its Customers
One day OD came to AD and applied for a posi
tion. He asked AD how he had built such a fine
business and obtained so many customers.
AD said, "First, by making the store an attrac
tive and convenient place to shop, and second, by
having the merchandise customers want.
'But these are not sufficient without Advertising
to tell the people about them. So we continuously
publish interesting, informative, truthful news about
our service and our merchandise. And we tell it in
the way that reaches the largest possible number of
people quickly through newspaper advertising."
. rfL
Copyright, 1938, by G. Lynn Sumner
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE