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Wrong prices are so rare as to be almost negligible as a source of loss on the books. Montgomery Ward recalls with horror, however, that once tilt sheeting was erroneously priced at 92¢ instead of $9.25. A few alert customers jumped in with large orders, which were filled at the list price.
The catalogs do not go direct from printing plant to consumer, but to branch offices, of which Sears has ten, Ward eleven. There they are mailed out to old customers, new ones who ask for them.
Different editions with different prices are printed for each branch. Shoes, for example, cost more in Chicago than in Boston, overalls more in San Francisco than in Atlanta.
In both the new catalogs the tendency to use photographs and halftones instead of line drawings is more visible than ever, especially for women's apparel. The Sears book has 1,062 pages, up 134 from last issue. Ward's catalog—794 large-size pages —is its biggest since 1921. Together they will consume 25,000 tons of paper, 500 tons of ink. Other comparisons:
Sears: 102 color plates.
Ward: 94 color plates.
Sears: 352 rotogravure pages.
Ward: 376 rotogravure pages.
So that customers may submit its cloth samples to close scrutiny, Sears supplies a magnifying glass with every catalog.