Part 26 (1/2)

Black. Don't you see that, if one hardware man, and one druggist, and one dry goods store, and so on, had our stamps, _all_ those merchants would be in a cla.s.s by themselves? It would make them the _leading_ merchants in the town, for people would trade with them so that they could collect the Garter stamps.”

”I see,” returned Fellows quietly. ”And the man who gets stamps here from Mr. Black would be able to buy, let us say, a hat or some china ornaments through you people, which would, incidentally, deprive the local men's furnis.h.i.+ng store or china store of the sale of those articles. And, of course, that same man might get trading stamps from other stores, and with those stamps he could buy a pocketknife through you people, and thus take the sale of that pocketknife away from Mr.

Black.”

Bulder waved the question aside as though not worth bothering with. ”My dear man,” he a.s.serted, ”the people who get things for those trading stamps get things they would not buy otherwise. That is surely a _very_ trivial contention.”

Fellows looked at me and said:

”Black, I have no reason to take any more of yours or Mr. Bulder's valuable time, as I see nothing else to say except that I strongly advise against the adoption of this or any other trading stamp or profit-sharing scheme which you do not control yourself. Of course, a few merchants in a town can get together and run this trading stamp system, whereby your stamps are accepted for cash in other stores and other stores' stamps are accepted for cash in your own, and by that system there might possibly be some benefit in the trading stamps. But I believe that any merchant who uses trading stamps--and I do not refer to your excellent company, Mr. Bulder--is merely building up business for some outside organization. He is merely diverting some of his own profits into the pockets of the trading stamp concerns, which do not really build up any business at all; because, if the stamps prove successful for one merchant, it will not be long before other merchants take them up and then every one is giving profits to the trading stamp concerns without any of them getting any real benefit from it. I believe the use of trading stamps is more or less an admission of inability to think up plans of getting business for oneself.”

Bulder smiled. He was once again the acme of courtesy.

”That argument of yours _sounds_ excellent, Mr. Fellows,” he said suavely. ”Excellent! But why not apply it to _your_ business? Why not say that if one merchant advertises, _all_ merchants will advertise and thus the benefits of advertising are nullified?”

Fellows was once again beaten down, I thought. He was plainly stumped for a few seconds. Then he replied:

”There is something in what you say, Mr. Bulder. But with trading stamp compet.i.tion every one is offering merely trading stamps. There is no particular difference between them, and one offers no material advantage over another. But advertising is different. You yourself admit that, and appreciate the benefits of advertising, for in your own printed matter”--and here he held some of it up--”you advise the merchant to advertise the trading stamp proposition, 'thus'”--he quoted from a folder--”'tying up the prestige of the Garter trading stamps with the local merchant's own store.'

”Now, while in trading stamps there is no apparent difference, with advertising one can express one's personality and character, which trading stamps never do. There are so many ways in which one may advertise: newspapers, billboards, booklets, form letters, street car signs; and you can make your advertising such that it will be better than your compet.i.tors'. But trading stamps are trading stamps and nothing more. The story of advertising is as varied as language itself.

With advertising you can vary the appeal so that it always has a freshness which trading stamps must soon lose.”

Bulder was plainly perturbed.

”I claim,” he said heavily, ”just the _same_ distinction, that _same_ personality--why, the very _dress_ of our trading stamps is an advertis.e.m.e.nt, just as is the design on those Kleen-Kut tools I see displayed there. They are well-known, they are recognized by the trademark, and that is their individuality. Our trading stamp has the _same_ individuality--it has our peculiar design and trademark.”

”I am unconvinced,” said Fellows, shaking his head with finality. ”Your arguments sound excellent, but the fact remains that once a dealer takes on trading stamps it is difficult for him to get rid of them. People come in and ask for the stamps--”

”Good night!” I thought. Bulder was quick to respond.

”Of _course_ they come and ask for the stamps. And if we offer these stamps to other dealers, and then people come to Mr. Black and _ask_ him for them, and find he doesn't have them, won't that _hurt_ Mr.

Black? Won't they say that Mr. Black isn't as _progressive_ as other people? If the people _demand_ trading stamps, it is up to Mr. Black to give them, for, if he is not progressive enough to do so, he will _drive_ them to some other store.”

”I take strong exception to your words,” said Fellows evenly. ”I don't appreciate your slur on the 'progressiveness' of my--of Mr. Black.”

”I _beg_ Mr. Black's pardon. I spoke hastily. But you must admit, Mr.

Black, that the unreasonableness of your friend _is_ exasperating.”

Fellows ignored the last remark. Apparently to no one, he mused:

”I remember in the little town of Wakeford some of the merchants there got this trading stamp 'bug.' First one got it, then another, and then they were all giving trading stamps--that is, all those who did any real business. And then one of them thought he would steal a march on the others, and began giving double trading stamps on Sat.u.r.day. In two weeks they were all giving double trading stamps on Sat.u.r.day. It has got so now that they are giving double stamps every Friday and triple stamps on Sat.u.r.day! I suppose before long they'll be all giving double stamps every day of the week. Pretty tough on those merchants, isn't it?”

Bulder looked at Fellows with some amazement in his face, for Fellows'

remarks were not apparently addressed to either of us; he was gazing through the window of the door leading into the store.

”Pretty tough on those merchants,” Fellows continued, ”because, when they give double trading stamps, they increase their percentage of cost on their capital from 15 to 30 per cent. a.s.suming they have a 5 times turnover. Of course it's all right for the trading stamp concerns, because the more stamps that are sold, the more profit they make.

”By the way, Mr. Bulder, do you sell stamps in Wakeford?”