IMAGINATION 443But it did not look like the same case, thanks to the Imagination
of the Caldwell manager. Every dent had been carefi.tlly straightened out.
The hinges had been trued and the case had been polished and cleaned
so it shone as it did when it was first purchased.
And the bill? Oh, it was plenty, and yet the price charged for the
repair did not seem too high. As a matter of fact everything that entered
into the transaction, from the packing of the case with the fine tissue
paper and gold seals to the delivery of the package, was based upon
carefully calculated psychology which laid the foundation for a high
price for the repair.
To me there was a great lesson in this cigarette-case incident. The
goods you are selling may actually be worth all you are asking for them,
but if you do not carefi.tlly study the subjects of display and packaging,
you may be accused of overcharging your customers.
On Broad Street, in the city of Philadelphia, there is a fruit shop
where those who patronize the store are met at the door by a man
in uniform who opens the door for them. He does nothing else but
merely open the door, but he does it with a smile.
This fruit merchant specializes in baskets of fruit decorated
with fancy wrapping and ribbons. Just outside the store is a large
blackboard on which are listed the sailing dates of the various ocean
liners leaving from New York City. This merchant caters to people
who wish baskets of fruit delivered on board departing boats on
which friends are sailing.
This merchant's store is a small affair, no larger than the" average
small store, but he pays a rent of at least $15,000 a year for the place
and makes more money than half a hundred ordinary fruit stands
combined, merely because he knows how to display and deliver his"
wares so they appeal to the vanity of the buyers. He gets from $ I 0 to