I read a lot of ads while going through these old newspapers, but the most entertaining ads were placed in 1936 in the Ridgeway Journal by Sam Spence (the same guy that told Maxine Haun that her house was on fire). Sam owned a feed store in Ridgeway and purchased wool, cream, eggs, poultry and hides as part of his business. He contracted with the creamery to sell the cream to them and had to keep a certain number of customers to keep the contract. His ads were direct and written like I would imagine the man himself talked.
The first ad I found was in January 1936 in which he wrote: “Listen, folks, Maggie (that’s my wife) went up to Stanleys and bought a print dress and I have my first payment to make Monday or Joe said he would come and get the dress (it’s the only one she’s got). Come in and help her out…”. In another ad, he accused one farmer of lying about his egg production “Say, I sold a sack of Egg Mash to a man. Said he was not getting any eggs and the next day he brought in fifteen dozen (I think he lied about not getting any eggs). The mash is not that good; but folks, you had better try it and if you don’t like it, don’t buy any more.” The next week, he issued an apology: “Say, I want to apologize to the man who had the fifteen dozen. He came back for his second sack — said he was satisfied and you will be too,..” He stressed his honesty in March: “I know I done a million things I should not have done, but can’t you think of two things I done good…..One thing, folks, I always tried to give you fair tests, honest weights and correct count on your eggs, poults and cream….Folks, I buy on commission and it’s nothing to me to short you and I sure try to please you.”
