# What did travelling salesmen sell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2007, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240 "2007-06-16T12:16:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/41 "2007-06-19T14:59:45Z")
[QUOTE=False\_God] No way Professor Harold Hill could travel with uniforms, instruments, sheet music, etc. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but he doesn’t know the territory. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/42 "2007-06-19T15:42:14Z")
Anyone else here do a stint as a Tom Watt (sp?) salesman? I loved those faux wood cases, the tons of crap you had to pack just right to get the thing to close… ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/43 "2007-06-19T15:56:47Z")
Also in popular culture. . .John Candy sold shower curtain rings in _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_. There are certainly still a lot of traveling salesmen who go to say, Nordstrom, or some other department store, and sell new product lines, or new products. There are drug company reps who go to doctor’s offices. There are salesmen who go to companies to sell computers/software/servers etc. In a different vein, a lot of “travelling salesmen” nowadays also do a lot of selling at conventions (trade shows) or arts & crafts shows. But, there are still plenty of “door to door” salesmen. The aforementioned vacuum cleaner salesmen, but I have friends who have done knives, and steaks. The ones I tend to get most are some kind of environmental causes. They want a $25 donation, or something. They pay (idealistic) college kids who go door to door money (like a buck or two) for each donation they bring in. That’s the kind of job that no one does for more than one day. I’m sure that these are some kind of “scam” where the owners registers as a non-profit, and might kick some money to charity after paying himself. It’s not like a set of knives, but it’s still door to door selling. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/44 "2007-06-19T16:23:05Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] My father was a traveling salesman, in that he had a territory and a route and a regular travel schedule. However, he sold electrical steel – a somewhat exotic product that only a few hundred manufacturers in the U.S. actually bought, and then usually in freight car-sized shipments. [/QUOTE] Aren’t there still many people who do this? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/45 "2007-06-19T16:29:36Z")
> [@MaxTorque](#): > > The odd thing, though, was that at the time she was living in a very poor neighborhood. You wouldn’t think that they’d be the target audience for a $1500 vacuum, but apparently that’s how these salesmen work these days: hard-sell expensive stuff to people who really can’t afford it, and have them paying $75 a month forever. Sure. It’s the same reason rent-a-center stores thrive in poor neighborhoods, when just saving up whatever the payment would be, then paying cash elsewhere, would be so much cheaper. It allows low-income people to have “nice” (that being a relative word) stuff immediately, without having to take the time to save for it. Of course, it also almost practically guarantees that the people will stay low-income, but that’s not a concern of theirs. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/46 "2007-06-19T17:08:25Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Bibles of course. With your name already printed in them. By you dead spouse. [/QUOTE] Ah, an obscure movie reference that _I_ get. ---
**Author:** ![Lambo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lambo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lambo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/47 "2007-06-19T17:48:05Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] It’s “Schwan.” Misspell it again and I’ll cut out your liver. I kid. But anyway, my mom bought a shitload of food from the Schwan’s truck last time they stopped at her house, and she let me have some of it. The barbecued ribs, biscuits, and ice cream are really really good, I’d recommend the service to anyone. [/QUOTE] Actually, it’s [Schwan’s](http://www.schwans.com/), not Schwan. Growing up in rural SD, it was the ONLY way to get ice cream (my family never bought ice cream at the grocery store, because nothing was as good as Schwan’s). If we were going to be away from the house on delivery day, we’d leave a list of what we needed on the front door, and the Schwan’s man would put it in the freezer for us. He’d collect for it the next delivery day (about every two weeks). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/48 "2007-06-19T17:59:54Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Travelling salesmen often carried miniatures of their products to show large products to customers on the road. Here are some examples of [furniture samples](http://frontpage.brightok.net/~tidwellantq/salesman_samples.htm). [/QUOTE] I wanted to see them, but the only things displayed on the site were 1995-style “Under Construction” pages. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/49 "2007-06-19T18:12:04Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] I wanted to see them, but the only things displayed on the site were 1995-style “Under Construction” pages. [/QUOTE] That furniture’s not going to build itself, you know. Get hopping! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/50 "2007-06-19T18:18:41Z")
Sexual satisfaction to bored housewives and farmer’s daughters, if a million old jokes are to be believed. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/51 "2007-06-19T18:19:49Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Amazing] Yeah, but he doesn’t know the territory. [/QUOTE] You can talk, you can talk, you can bicker, bicker, bicker - but it’s _different_ than it was! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/52 "2007-06-19T21:40:35Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Sexual satisfaction to bored housewives and farmer’s daughters, if a million old jokes are to be believed. [/QUOTE] No, that’s the Schwanz driver. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/53 "2007-06-19T22:24:29Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] No, that’s the Schwanz driver. [/QUOTE] Use the schwans, Luke! Trust your feelings! ---
**Author:** ![Skipper\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Skipper\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skipper_Too)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/54 "2007-06-19T23:42:37Z")
One Excellent movie about a Door to Door Salesman titled Door to Door staring William H Macy, playing a real life door to door salesman selling Watkins products in the Portland area. The real life person had I think Cerbal Palsy (sp?) it is a very interesting story. Mr. Macy does an excellent job in it. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/55 "2007-06-20T02:40:08Z")
About 15 years ago I tried my hand at door-to-door-selling Kirby Vaccuum Cleaners. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/56 "2007-06-20T02:53:29Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] It’s “Schwan.” Misspell it again and I’ll cut out your liver. I kid. But anyway, my mom bought a shitload of food from the Schwan’s truck last time they stopped at her house, and she let me have some of it. The barbecued ribs, biscuits, and ice cream are really really good, I’d recommend the service to anyone. [/QUOTE] We get Schwan’s deliveries every two weeks. (The confusion of the company spelling is partly because their logo is a stylized swan.) We get sliced cheese, hot pockets, chimichangas, ice cream, mashed potatoes, and dinner kits. It’s a little pricey, but it’s definately quality. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/57 "2007-06-20T07:15:20Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Sexual satisfaction to bored housewives and farmer’s daughters, if a million old jokes are to be believed. [/QUOTE] That’s what the special attachments to the vacuum cleaners are for… Back when I was in college, every spring there were ads posted for jobs that would pay $800/month (good money in the 70s) for summer work. If you went to the meeting, you’d sit through a long talk and have absolutely no idea what the job would be about for at least 45 minutes. Eventually, you’d learn that it would be for a company called, IIRC, Southland Corp. and finally (after an hour or more) selling books door-to-door. I can’t remember what the books were; one-volume encyclopedias, perhaps, or maybe bibles. Never took them up on it but I do wonder if they’re still in business and still conning college students into wasting their summers doing this. ---
**Author:** ![Commodore\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Commodore\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commodore_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/58 "2007-06-20T14:42:07Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut] Travelling salesmen sold sweets, braces, drawing pins, sellotape, hoovers, rucksacks, biros, plimsoils, pants, and trousers. Traveling salesmen, on the other hand, sold candy, suspenders, thumb tacks, Scotch tape, vacuum cleaners, backpacks, ballpoint pens, tennis shoes, underwear, and pants. [/QUOTE] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/59 "2007-06-20T14:52:08Z")
[QUOTE=Enola Straight] About 15 years ago I tried my hand at door-to-door-selling Kirby Vaccuum Cleaners. [/QUOTE] How did that work out for you? Was it profitable? Worthwhile? Hellish and unbearable? Any good stories? ---
**Author:** ![Commodore\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Commodore\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commodore_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240/60 "2007-06-20T14:58:13Z")
[QUOTE=dtilque] That’s what the special attachments to the vacuum cleaners are for… Back when I was in college, every spring there were ads posted for jobs that would pay $800/month (good money in the 70s) for summer work. If you went to the meeting, you’d sit through a long talk and have absolutely no idea what the job would be about for at least 45 minutes. Eventually, you’d learn that it would be for a company called, IIRC, Southland Corp. and finally (after an hour or more) selling books door-to-door. I can’t remember what the books were; one-volume encyclopedias, perhaps, or maybe bibles. Never took them up on it but I do wonder if they’re still in business and still conning college students into wasting their summers doing this. [/QUOTE] If they aren’t there are other companies will to rake suckers in (as already described in the thread). [Vector Marketing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_Marketing) (link goes to wiki) has an MO just like that Southland Corp. you describe. They send out a lot of mail every summer promising in excess of $15 an hour base pay and flexible schedule, but suspiciously lax hiring qualifications for such a profitable scheme. “Valuable resume experience”, “opportunity to advance”… “conditions apply.” They sell Cutco knives. 10% commission, you buy the demonstration pack yourself, $15 an hour is per appointment not hour and even that’s iffy, your managers hassle the crap out of you even when you’re at home and not ‘at work’, and they bitch you the bottom line SELL SELL SELL instead of how much time you’re at the phone. Outside of your mom and your one friend’s mom who is just trying to be nice, no one buys any of that crap anyways. So that job sucked. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-travelling-salesmen-sell/408240.md?page=4)