Customer Satisfaction

May 7

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , , ,

What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?

Providence Gazette (May 7, 1774).

“His Customers may depend on having their Work done as neat as at Boston.”

When the mononymous Wright, “TAYLOR and HABIT-MAKER, from Boston,” arrived in Providence, he ran a newspaper advertisement to introduce himself to prospective clients in and near the growing port.  He advised the public that he “has taken a Shop opposite Messieurs Joseph and William Russell’s Store,” a prime location because everyone knew where the town’s most prominent merchants did business.  Readers might not know much about Wright, at least not yet, but they could certainly find their way to his new shop if they wished to find out more.

For his part, Wright sought to incite interest that would help in cultivating a clientele by telling the public more about himself and his plans for his new enterprise.  He reported that he “served his Apprenticeship to one of the best Taylors in Boston,” but did not give a name.  Whether they arrived from the other side of the Atlantic or from another colony, artisans often promoted the training they received in their trade, hoping that would give them some standing with prospective customers while they worked to establish their reputations in the local market.  Wright also asserted that he pursued “the Taylor’s Business, in all its Branches,” indicating that he was capable of any sort of work undertaken by tailors.  His apprenticeship had been extensive and complete.

The newcomer also emphasized quality and customer service.  He promised that he produced garments “in the neatest and best Manner.”  Indeed, given his prior experience, he pledged that “His Customers may depend on having their Work done as neat as at Boston, or elsewhere.”  Just because Boston and New York and Philadelphia were larger and more cosmopolitan did not mean that their tailors produced better work, at least not according to Wright as he appealed to prospective clients in Providence.  He may have even intended for the mononym to testify to the cachet associated with hiring him.  Wright was confident that he “shall give Satisfaction to all that may please to favour him with their Custom.”  Whether or not that was actually the case could not be gleaned from his advertisement, but the tailor did demonstrate that he was familiar with the various conventions for marketing his services commonly adopted by members of his trade during the era of the American Revolution.

August 14

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , , ,

What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?

Aug 14 - 8:11:1768 Pennsylvania Gazette
Postscript to the Pennsylvania Gazette (August 11, 1768).

“He has of late stamped his name on his brushes.”

John Hanna made and sold all sorts of brushes “At the corner of Chestnut and Second-streets” in Philadelphia in the late 1760s. He produced brushes intended for every sort of purpose, from “sweeping, scrubbing, hearth and white-wash brushes” to “weavers, tanners, hatters, painters and furniture brushes of all kinds.” In his advertisements in the Pennsylvania Gazette he emphasized price and, especially, customer satisfaction. In making an appeal to price, the brushmaker proclaimed that he “sells by wholesale or retail, as low, if not lower, than any in this city.”

He expended much more effort on convincing potential customers that they would be satisfied if they purchased their brushes from him. He began with standardized language about quality, noting that he made brushes “in the neatest and best manner.” Hanna then backed up this pronouncement by offering a return policy should any of his brushes not meet the expectations of his customers. To that end, he asserted “that if the bristles come out in any reasonable time, with fair usage, he will give new ones for nothing.” This guarantee depended in part on the honesty of customers, but it did offer some sort of recourse should any of Hanna’s brushes fall short of the quality he promised.

The return policy likely extended to consumers who obtained Hanna’s brushes from other retailers. In a nota bene he explained that he “has of late stamped his name on his brushes, so that if they should fail, people may know where to bring them to be exchanged.” This removed retailers from having to address potential complaints about customer satisfaction. Instead, they could point out Hanna’s name on the brushes at the time of sale and instruct their own customers to contact the manufacturer directly with any concerns, anticipating a policy widely adopted in the twenty-first century.

Like many other artisans and shopkeepers, Hanna pledged that “Those who are pleased to favour him with their custom, may depend on being supplied to their satisfaction.” He enhanced his advertisement, however, with a mechanism for following through on those assurances. Stamping his name on his brushes not only branded them to encourage additional sales; it also marked them as eligible for the return policy he devised to cultivate customer satisfaction.