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He Had An Item

He Had An Item image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
September
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"8ay, Mister, yon are the man what writes up locáis for the Courier newspaper, aint you?" "Yes sir," was the meek reply. "Well, I have got a good item for you, do you want it?" "Why, certainly, we are always glad to "Take out your note book then, and I'H teil you all about it." So we fumble around among innumerable papers and letters, and at last from the recesses of a side pocket bring forth our note book, sharpen our pencil, and request the newsy gent to proceed. "Well, IHl teil ye. Me and Jim Banks have bouglit out old Sam Skinflint in the grocery and produce business, and propose to put in the biggèst and best lot of goods in town. We're goin' to sell cheap, too. Just mention that, will you? Teil your readers that they can save enough money in a year by trading with us to pay for a small farm in the country or a good house and lot in the city. You know how to fix it up, I'll just give you the facts. Just mention butter at 24 cents, while every dealer in town is asking 26 and some 20 for it ; codfish so cheap that the packers could not pay for the salt put on 'em, and so busted up; sugars at - " "But, my dear air ut jmi mink that your item properly bclongs in the advertising columns?1' "Young man, I guess you don't know how to get up a live paper. What Tve been telling you is just what the people want to know. You could secure Iota of subscribers by just tclliu' 'ein all about where things can be bouglit cheap. And Uien, too, I've taken your paper for inor'en three years. 1 paid the first year in advance and am going to come down and pay the last two some time. You ought to be willing to give your patrons a notico, anyway. If you would only wake up and give your readers some interesting items like I've given you, the Couribr might reach an enormous circulation. Why, a feller in here the other dky said, 'if I'd only knowed how cheap j'ou sold things I could of saved money by buyin' of you. Why don't the new9papers teil about it? Tliey teil all about who sells clothes cheap, I should think they might teil about groeerles.' " We endeavored to explaln to the worthy gentleman that our clothing mrchants had au eye to business. Th&t tbey made money by keeping the people informed of the oheapness of thelr goods, and that we should be glad to help ncrease bis business in a like manner. Hut he still clung to Hie idea that it was the mission of a newspáper to advertise the business of its subscribers gratie, and thought u. lacking in enterprise in not telling the people how cheap he sold goods. And such is the idea many people have. They think a local editor should chronicle all sorte of business items, forgettlng that advertising is the stock in trade of a newspaper, and that we should not be expected to give a subscriber a free notice any more than a grocery man would throw in a pound of sugar when a customer bought a half pound of tea. The picture is not overdrawn. Hardly a day passes but somebody asks to have his business advertised free.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News