Penny Party

Before sunup one day last week, the queue started to form in front of Barry's Jewelry Store in Glendale, Calif. By noon, when the doors opened, there were 3,000 in line. Waiting for them were twelve regular and eight extra clerks, one uniformed policeman, one private detective. Waiting, too, were electric clocks, cigaret lighters, liquor sets--18,500 items in all. Retail value ran from $2 to $50. But for each item the price was only 18-c-, in honor of Barry's 18th anniversary.

Barry's birthday guests grabbed, pawed, rushed wildly from counter to counter. By 6 o'clock, when only tie clasps, flashlights and wallets were left, the doors were closed to replenish stocks, then reopened. Finally, at 11:30 p.m., the exhausted sales force gave up. The customers were told to help themselves; they did.

When it was all over, the 10,000 customers had bought merchandise with a retail value of $80,000. By buying up inventories and leftovers, Barry's got it for $20,000. The store's owner, dapper, suntanned Sam Behrstock, 43, estimates that his yearly anniversary sale increases his volume of business the rest of the year by 40%; people remember the name, come back. Behrstock started his give-away sale ten years ago, feels it is cheap advertising. Says Behrstock: "The idea was just short of an inspiration. And it makes me feel good to give."

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