1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



575 



f l« "pmk¥%: 



This department is to be kcjit for the benefit of tln.se who are 

 dissatisfied; and when anything is amiss, [hope you wil] "talk 

 right out." As a pule, we will omit names and addresses, to 

 u\ oid being too personal. 



%r% ^ ,n0 wn F' * think the counter Kinds do not by 

 j*T*i any means "till the bill." Fur instance-, your 

 advertisement explicitly says, "Coe'S wrench 

 35c;" but the wrench is not Coe's; it has no stamp, 

 and is a very inferior cast-iron imitation, which is 

 practically worthless. Advertisement also reads, 

 "Thermometer, best, 10-inch, 2.">c." Now, I am not 

 sure that I know how to measure thermometers; 

 but I can not get 10 inches on this, unless I measure 

 around the ring once or twice; for the body, by my 

 rule, is but 7 inches Ions. * The '"Steel, for sfiarpftiing 

 knives," "good," iBcast-iron. The 5cuippeis broke 

 in four pieces. at the third cut through fourthick- 

 ih sses of newspaper, the first lime I took ihem into 

 my hands. Now, friend Root, does your advertise- 

 ment lead one to think that these tools are such as 

 described, and as they really cue, or does it lead them 

 to suppose that they are really genuine, and as nctu. 

 ally described in circular? Although I confess to 

 having- been taken in badly, yet it was my own fault 

 in expecting to get a good article fur less than it was 

 really worth, although repn sented to be such; for a 

 genuine article can not be afforded at the price ot 

 shoddy. But, friend Hoot, allow me to sav, I think 

 the claims in your circular are rather broad. Never 

 mind Please send the inclosed order all right, and 

 we will shake hands over the past. 



J. A. Hopkins. 

 So. Oxford, Chenango Co., N. T., Oct. 25, 1880. 



Most gladly will I shake hands, and thank 

 you too. friend EI., for your very kind and 

 gentlemanly way of making complaints. 

 Now. us I make our defense, please bear in 

 mind, that in all I say I am looking as pleas- 

 antly and good-naturedly as I would if you 

 bad been praising our goods all the time. 

 When I started the counter store, Coe's 

 wrenches were offered me so that I could 

 sell them at 2.5c, and make a small profit on 

 them. I sent for samples, and pronounced 

 them satisfactory, and a large trade opened 

 on them at once. I gave one of them to our 

 engraveT and he copied it, stamp and all. 

 Then came the tremendous rise in iron, and 

 1 was told the wrenches were worth nearly 

 double the money, like a thousand other 

 things. I wrote to different manufacturers, 

 and finally got what I called a very fair 

 wrench, that I could sell at 35c. During the 

 rush of business, I found it impossible to ex- 

 plain to customers why our goods were not 

 what we advertised in the winter, any more 

 than to say, in a general way, we had done 

 the best we could, in view of the advances. 

 I now find the price list of these 35c wrench- 

 es reads, "Coe's T-ottem" instead of "Coe's 

 •patent."' The stamp put on is "Coe's pat.," 

 meaning Coe's pattern : thai is. that the 

 wrench is after the Btyle of Coe's wrenches 

 All my advertisements have been changed 

 to Coe's pattern ; and when I said Coe's 

 wrenches, I did it ignorantly. Will you for- 



give my carelessness? We sent a shorter 

 thermometer, because the length could not 

 then be bought for the price ; but was it not, 

 even at 25c, far below what you usuallj pay 

 for a 7-inch thermometer? 



The steel is Besserrnr steel, made of cast- 

 iron, it is true ; but it is harder than the or- 

 dinary stt el. as you will see by drawing 

 across it the hardest-tempered knife you can 

 find. It j on will read Ihe directions sent 

 with it, you will find that it needs to bo 

 ground on a grindstone when dull. This 

 conversion of cast iron into steel direct is a 

 new industry that promises great things. 

 Excellent shears are made of it already ; but 

 1 do not consider them quite equal, as yet, 

 to the faeed-steel shears, and so do not offer 

 them, except on the 25c counter ; but our 

 men of genius are working hard at it, and I 

 have no doubt we shall soon have good steel 

 shears for 25c, and oilier culling tools in 

 proportion. The 5c nippers are nipprrs, not 

 cutting-plyers ; to be sure, they would break 

 as you used them. \\ e have just put in the 

 price list, "Not to cut with." A good cut- 

 ting-plyer is worth troni 75c to a dollar. The 

 5c oms are to '•nip" or pull things with 



The counter business is yetting to be a 

 great industry, and the old high prices tor 

 household conveniences are getting a Mow 

 that they will never survive. Complaints of 

 the goods have been very few. if I except 

 t he wrenches and a few such items. In 

 fact, my fliends, I fear you have not com- 

 plained enough. The tinware, 1 purchased 

 and put in the price list as it was billed ; 

 but 1 do not know that any one has ever 

 complained that the tin pans did not hold 

 out full measure. In fact I did not know it 

 mj self until a dealei informed me that the 

 6-quart pans for 10c did not hold even 5 

 quarts. 1 went at once for a quart cup to 

 measure ; but. lo and behold ! some of our 

 quart cups were not truthful. This is a very 

 serious matter my friends, and it ought not 

 to be tolerated for a moment; no, not even 

 if cups are yiren away. Lest you are too 

 hard on the manufacturers, I will add, that 

 some of their tinware overruns. The pint 

 pails, for instance, held almost a pint and a 

 half. In despair. I went to Webster's Dic- 

 tionary, and found that a tin vessel 7 inches 

 in diameter and G deep, holds just a gallon ; 

 and we are now trying to have all the tin- 

 ware light; at least, I am going to try to tell 

 you the real truth about all these goods; and 

 I request it as a favor, that you tell me 

 whenever you think any thing is not up to 

 the recommend. 



When goods advance, it always makes 

 trouble ; and especially is this! he case where 

 they are sold so close that a slight change 

 leaves no margin ; but when they go down, 

 and we elm send you a better article than we 

 advertised, or send just as good, and advise 

 you of a balance placed to your credit, it 

 makes it pleasant all around ; and not a few 

 of you have been warm in your thanks, on 

 being agreeably surprised in that way during 

 Ihe past few months. What I desire, would 

 be that you may know me so well, that you 

 will at once presume thete is something to 

 be explained, when you do not get just the 

 thing you expected. 



