The Ultimate Shopper Promotional Kit: Key Publicity Reviews & Newspaper Clippings How Canada's worst-selling title of 1988 got media coverage in 100-plus markets in 3 months Last updated 07/05

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Here's a sampling of the newspaper clippings I collected from the publicity campaign. Noting the fact that I got addresses printed on several occasions and bookstore blurbs as well made it that much harder to accept that all this great publicity netted me sales of maybe 50 books.

Maybe.

The argument made then, and perhaps it's more true and more meaningful than I'd like to believe, is that I was challenging people on something they thought they did well. As much fun as the book was to read, no one wanted to hear that they were less capable than they believed. If I had it to do over again and I was strictly after sales as opposed to the truth, I believe I would have approached it differently. I would have said that Canadians are skilled shoppers, but that my book could make them better.

The other problem I have with these articles is that they tended to minimize the value of what I wrote. The moneysaving ideas quoted from the book are almost all oversimplified to the point where the articles make me look like someone who gives consumers zero credit for common sense.

The newspapers focused on the "what" whereas the book's focus was "how". If you don't have natural or early-developed skills of persuasion, directing an author interview to your advantage is a difficult skill to learn and expensive to practice. In fact, you may want to have your researcher or editor do your personal appearances if he or she possesses superior persuasion skills.

I hope careful readers spot other mistakes that contributed to the book's downfall and in so doing improve their own publicity campaigns; that is, after all, my secondary motive for releasing this as shareware. (The first? Money! I'm hoping for enough registrations to at least partially cover the time involved in assembling this kit.)

Steve Winter, who calls himself "Toronto's consumer technician", was in Fredericton recently to promote his new book "The Ultimate Shopper". It is Steve's sixth book, his first national release, published by Living Skill Books, also Steve's company.

The premise behind The Ultimate Shopper is that the average Canadian could save at least 10 per cent on almost all of their purchases if they really tried. "North America doesn't have haggling as an established tradition," he says. "The majority of Canadians don't haggle when buying but the few who do get a good deal most of the time."

Steve is not a consumer advocate and not particularly a sale or bargain shopper. He simply enjoys shopping and getting what he wants, the brands he wants, for as little money as possible. It's an interesting concept.

Canadians shy away from the image of confrontational shopping but by using his methods, confrontations are not necessary. For instance, "get to know salesmen," he advises. "Friends give friends better deals."

Steve says some chain stores will allow customers to negotiate prices while others will not, but it is surprising the number who do. Owner-operated stores are easier to bargain with, and Steve, who also plays in a band, mentioned particularly music stores which sell equipment to serious professional musicians as well as music and instruments to music students.

"Most parents pay full price for equipment and music for their children without question, which enables the store to negotiate good deals with the professional musicians they seek to sell to." But even they have to ask.

Two income families with both parties busy working, and one income single parent families, are both categories of shoppers where the concept of haggling and negotiating are not used. Both groups are too busy and want to get what they want and leave the store as quickly as possible. And most people feel they have reached their "budget effectiveness," but Steve says his book can save more money for even the 90 per cent of shoppers who feel they could do no better with their money.

You don't have to sacrifice quality and buy the bottom of the line to get the most from your money. First, know what you want, the exact size, brand, model number, color. Then figure out how much you want to pay for it. Finally, call the stores where the product is available and ask for their price, then ask what they can really sell it for. Then call another store and ask them the same questions.

Don't hesitate to play one store against the other, tell them what you can get it for elsewhere and chances are, they will lower their price even more. "It takes time, but the longer I'm on the phone the lower the prices are getting." And never look too interested in what you're buying.

"Let them know you would buy it if the price is right, but you don't have to," he says, and don't haggle too long. The sooner you conclude the deal the better, because commission salespeople may back off when it runs on too long."

Steve says some stores have lists for their salesmen letting them know what the lowest possible price a particular item may be sold for and they can negotiate from there. But if you don't ask, you'll never find out.

The Ultimate Shopper has been in stores since May but Steve is finding out the difficulties of the book busines. He says it is difficult to get books on the shelves of book stores that are part of a chain. In Fredericton he was contacting independent stores and having some success getting his book on their shelves. Steve was hoping to reach the grocery stores but wasn't having much luck and has learned of the many problems involved in promoting and selling self-published books in this country. His book is selling well, though, and he says his first printing of 5000 copies should be completely sold.

Promoting books is often a painful business, and Steve is now at the end of a Maritime tour. He has been to Halifax, Moncton, Newcastle, Amherst, Truro, New Glasgow, Sussex, and visited radio stations, newspapers, whoever would listen. From here he will tour Ontario but since he's camping on the way, Thunder Bay will probably be his final stop. "It's getting cold," he said.

Steve Winter is a likable chap, "actually a bum with five part-time jobs," he says. His book is written for easy reading and obviously a lot of thought has gone into it. He feels that consumers should ask for a discount for paying cash rather than a credit card, but "first ask if they take American Express. The store owner pays about 6% of the purchase price to American Express, so when they acknowledge they accept it, ask for a 5% discount for paying cash. If they use Visa or Mastercard, ask for a 3% discount for cash." Coupons are real money-savers too, but you can't turn an impulse shopper into an organized coupon saver.

Steve says almost any product may be negotiated for, even professional services. You can't usually negotiate services where tipping is expected, for instance in restaurants, or a taxi, and you can't negotiate mail order shopping or when buying by telephone, but almost anything else is open for haggling. Steve feels that consumers should be taught how to shop and mentioned that there is a shopping course set up for welfare recipients in a Toronto suburb to teach them how to spend their money to get the most from it. But everyone should learn.

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Did you know that impulse purchases, things you had not planned to buy when you went into the store, make up at least 70 per cent of the goods you purchase when you grocery shop?

And for each extra minute you stay in the store, you increase your chances of impulse buying?

Steve Winter wants to protect you from yourself. He offers to help you save a minimum $500 in the next year if you read his book, The Ultimate Shopper.

He is so sure of his 10-point program designed to increase your purchasing power that he guarantees the results on the front cover. He says you won't need any extra time or effort and no additional sacrfice to save money.

Although the accent of the book is on saving money at the supermarket, it also outlines, in a humorous way, a wide variety of tips, tricks and techniques for nearly every spending situation - from cough remedies to car insurance.

Such topics as how to deal in classified information, the fine art of garage sales and bulk buying are part of the strategy of The Ultimate Shopper.

"Alertness and enjoying what you're doing" are the key elements for any thrifty shopper, says 27-year-old Winter, who was in Belleville recently promoting his book.

He says generally Canadians aren't good shoppers, "although most think they are".

Negotiating the price of an item is something we rarely do in Canada, says Winter.

"We have to have it now; we don't take the time to get a better deal."

He says that most independent stores will allow haggling if you're talking to the right person. And that doesn't just include cars and stereo equipment - you can also haggle for furniture, hardware and even clothing.

Winter says that contrary to popular belief, he's found most good shoppers spend less time preparing for shopping than do "impulsive spenders".

If you're alert and organized, you just won't spend as much money. Impulse shoppers usually tend to let their minds wander when they shop, often buying things they don't need.

Winter has spent several years working at small community newspapers. "I had to learn how to get as much for my money as possible." He has tried to appeal to all income brackets when he wrote The Ultimate Shopper.

Copies of his book, costing $7.95, are available at Greenley's Booksellers or you can write to: Living Skill Books, XXXX Queen St. W-71, Toronto, Canada O0O-0O0.

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STEVE WINTER is a mover and a shaker who fills a need when he sees it.

He saw a need for a book on how to save money and the result is The Ultimate Shopper.

Winter calls himself "a bum with five part-time jobs." He's a musician, advertising copywriter, marketing consultant for other publishers and direct mail consultant, among other things.

The Ultimate Shopper is his latest book, after a string of similar books including Beat Defeat: How to Fight Failure and Win, The Secrets of Perfect Sleep and Dynamic Dreaming, and My Card: An Exercise in Creative Self- Promotion.

It was going to be a book for bachelors but he found most people were interested in the section on shopping. He searched for a reference book on the subject and couldn't find one and his logical answer was to write one.

"It will actually take a series of books to educate shoppers," he said.

The price on the cover is $9.95 but it's selling for $7.95 which should appeal to anyone regardless of whether they're on a budget.

Before writing the book, Winter talked to about 200 people in Toronto to find out what kind of reception it would get.

"I called the Smiths in the Toronto phone book and found out that a little more than half figured they were at their limit of budget effectiveness. More than 90 per cent felt they could not make a 10 per cent gain in purchasing power without cutting corners or doing without, which I simply don't believe is true."

He says the most useful idea in the book is marketplace negotiation.

You won't get a discount from a retailer if you don't ask and you will be surprised how many retailers will bend a little - or a lot, he says.

His rule of thumb is to say "Is that the best you can do" on items over $50 and you won't make a scene by asking politely.

"North America is the only place on earth where people don't negotiate."

Little things mean a lot when it comes to saving money and some of his methods include:

• When you buy a package of mixed pork chops choose a cheaper one. It is only a fraction of an ounce difference per chop when they are cooked and no one will notice the difference, but 50 cents a package a week means $26 per year.
• "I haven't had a tough steak in five years because you can tell how tender beef is by squeezing it."
• If the store takes charge cards you can ask for a 3 per cent to 5 per cent discount for cash.
• Throw-ins are always good when you buy durable goods. That's a shirt and tie with a good suit, installation with a car stereo, pillows with a sofa and batteries with just about anything that needs them.
• There are good-sized markups on clothes so the higher the price the better the chance of a discount if you ask.

The book is available at W.H. Smith, many independent bookstores and Coles has committed to stock it, he says.

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Photo caption: "Author Steve Winter never shops without the help of his latest book The Ultimate Shopper. To write the book he scoured grocery stores in Toronto observing shoppers' habits. He also tossed in a few of his own shopping strategies designed to help consumers save money."

Are you a shopper who skims through sale flyers, watches as the grocery clerk checks in your items, negotiates the price of a Gucci bag with the store owner or writes a grocery list before you go to the supermarket?

If not, then you should, according to author Steve Winter in The Ultimate Shopper.

The book focuses on educating the consumer on shopping strategies to help the smart shoppers save money.

Mr. Winter says the book does not mention coupons, budgeting or sacrificing items as part of the strategy.

The key to being a smart shopper is organization, says Mr. Winter. The longer you stay in a grocery store mulling over items you want or need to buy, the more likely you will spend more on impulse.

Mr. Winter suggests consumers look at sale flyers from each store to find the items they want at the lowest prices.

Low Prices

In the long run consumers will save more by shopping at a variety of stores for low prices rather than buying at one store at higher prices for convenience, says Mr. Winter.

Mr. Winter will offer a full refund for the cost of his book if consumers don't save a minimum of $500 in the next year.

Shop during the stores' bargain cycles or super specials, he says and "you may be able to get almost every household item at a below-cost price on a regular basis."

These cycles occur every four to seven weeks, says Mr. Winter, so stock up on items like eggs, canned good, milk and sundries until the next super special.

Fine tuning your negotiating skills may help beat down a store managers' "suggested retail price."

The first rule of thumb for price negotiating, says the author, is never seem over anxious to buy a particular item in which you hope to bargain. If the owner knows you want that item badly enough he may never lower his price.

Seek Discount

Another strategy especially effective for costly purchases is to ask for a discount, by not using a credit card.

Few people realize that credit card companies charge anywhere from four to 10 per cent to take customers debts from retailers. Credit card companies charge for the privilege of handling their cards.

This ploy may work best with independent store owners who are struggling to survive in the midst of larger chains.

Mr. Winter even suggests pretending you have a credit card and ask the manager for a discount not to use it.

Self-improvement books or books which teach living skills are the fastest growing in North America, says Mr. Winter, because people are looking for ways to improve their lives in the midst of computers.

The Ultimate Shopper is Mr. Winter's seventh book and first to be sold by book stores. It was released in May and took Mr. Winter "a good nine months of my life to write."

The others like Beat Defeat: How to Fight Failure and Win and My Card: An Exercise in Creative Self-Promotion are available by mail from his company in Toronto - Living Skill Books.

Mr. Winter was a reporter for five years in Kamloops B.C. and south western Ontario. He has devoted the last three years to writing and promoting his books.

The 192-page Ultimate Shopper retails for $9.95 and is available at Classic Bookshops.

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On later press and promo kits I included several sheets of clippings. I decided to get bold and included this following article, the only truly nasty piece ever written for the general public about me or my book, with the handwritten comment "A responsible spokesman for the opposing point of view". I present this to warn authors who and what they may be up against; Dennis was asked by his editor to keep the story light but he felt certain I was a huckster and described my book to my face as "worthless" and "dumb". He was kind enough to tell me in advance that it was not going to be good press and he didn't feel the book worthy of an inch of space in the Citizen. His article was sharply edited; it could have been much worse.

For my part, I must say that Dennis didn't read past the first chapter, and I replied to this article that he was half right and I was half wrong...we both overestimated the common sense of the average shopper. Considering the low sales from good press, this couldn't have done me too much damage. On a good seller it could have cost me several hundred dollars. Had I the opportunity to do it over again, I'm not sure I'd even consent to the article; I believe I would have tried to reach an agreement with Dennis that if he felt as he did that the worst thing he could do for me would be to not cover the book at all.

The most bothersome aspect of this article was that Dennis was the most professional print reporter I encountered on the tour, yet he still stooped to character assassination ("shuffling" indeed!), misrepresentation and misstatement. I repeat what I've said in other files; I grew up in the community newspaper industry where such behavior offends townsfolk and is grounds for dismissal; I never believed the tales of horror about big-city journalists and bad reporting until I encountered it first-hand.

There is a young man shuffling around the streets of Toronto who believes he's unlocked the secret to a great mystery - how to be a bargain hunter.

Like many an explorer before him, Steve Winter wanted to share his newfound insight into the labyrinthine horrors of a supermarket. He wrote a book.

When customers didn't flock to store counters to scoop up his first effort, Winter rewrote the book, put on a slicker cover and offered a money- back guarantee.

Winter promises that you will save a minimum of $500 in the first year using his method, with no additional time, effort or sacrifice. If not, you get your money back. No one has asked for his money back yet, with about 1,000 copies sold by mail order and in stores.

For $9.95 THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER promises to "save maximum money with minimum hassle...deflate your budget and inflate your purchasing power."

What Winter delivers, however, is the tactical approach that must be adopted by just about every student or country kid who arrives in a big city on a fixed budget. There is little on shopping for a family.

The book is long on what others would call plain old common sense - reading sales sheets, shopping where competition is sharpest, riding super- sale cycles, and browsing for bargains when in a shopping centre with time on your hands.

The reader definitely gets the impression that Winter's mother never showed him how it was done before he left his small-town home.

Not so, says Winter, now 27. His bargain-hunting ways go back to childhood.

What Winter learned in the process is truly revelational.

"All you have to do to save at least 10 per cent on all your groceries is buy enough of every worthwhile super-special to last until the next super-special," his book advises.

And then the disclaimer.

"Accept the fact that this strategy will always be hit-or-miss and console yourself with the thought that you'll be getting just about everything you buy at the cheapest possible price."

The book was turned down by established book publishers and Winter published it himself. He allows that his book reveals no real secrets but says the justification for flogging it for $10 a copy is that too many Canadians are lousy shoppers and have to be told a thing or two.

Winter's book can be obtained from Living Skill Books, XXXX Queen St. W-71, Toronto, ON O0O-0O0. Please add $1 for handling costs.

--30--

This was the only print review the book ever received to my knowledge, although I was told it was reviewed in a Saskatoon daily. This woman accused me on the phone of inventing information and spreading dangerous and false medical advice. (The link between aluminum and Alzheimer's symptoms is widely accepted; I did not make the claim as stated, nor did I do more than suggest the bit about acne and sugars.) I made reference to home economists in the book as a dull, humorless lot; I didn't actually believe my own stereotype until I ran into Emily Reid. Once again, no harm done. The review didn't get published until a year after it had been released and six months after most stores had pulled unsold copies from their shelves.

THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER purports to provide tips and techniques for saving money on practically anything one might buy from food to home furnishings, from VCRs to vitamins.

After taking seven pages to explain how and why one should read this book, the author spends eleven pages to say that buying in bulk can save time and money; thirteen more to note that prices can vary with the season and fifty-six pages to explain that exploring overlooked retailers can lead to finding unexpected bargains. Other less-than-startling tips include discounts for using cash rather than credit can sometimes be negotiated, telephone enquiries can save time, and cash register slips should be checked for errors.

The author writes in a glib, colloquial style alternately attempting to amuse, to inform, and to make snide comments about the typical shopper's skill and intelligence. It is doubtful that the average reader needs to wade through forty-nine pages to make a wise purchase at a garage sale. Nor would most readers be entertained by being addressed as snivelling little twerps. In addition, some statements such as aluminum's being suspected as a primary cause of Alzheimer's disease and eliminatuion of all sugars including all fruits as the best treatment for acne are patently false.

The general reader will likely find this annoying little book neither humorous nor informative. The best advice that this reviewer can offer is to avoid spending any money on this publication - even at a garage sale or with a discount for cash.

--30--

Among the publicity sources most likely to produce results, or at least clippings, are professional journals and magazines for the book trade. This clipping was pulled from "Book Dealer's World", a journal for small and medium-sized mail order and direct-sales booksellers. It didn't produce a single wholesale inquiry, which shocked the hell out of me. It was also my first serious advance publicity in the US.

Too much month at the end of your money? I think our common plight is stretching our paychecks to meet the ever-increasing demands of life in the 1980's and beyond! Delightful Steve Winter from Toronto, Canada, in his new book, THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER, says traditional concepts such as budgeting, coupon-clipping and substituting lower-priced products still have their place...but he believes they're not sufficient in this age of two-income families and a declining standard of living.

"We haven't seriously rethought basic moneysaving strategies since the consumer movement of the late 1960's," Steve says. "But retailers haven't rethought their strategies either, and right now there are enormous loopholes in our retail system."

In his 10-point Ultimate Shopper Program, Steve entertainingly (in fact, downright funny to the point where I put the book down and shrieked with laughter!) gives us tips and hard strategies for saving big money on practically everything we buy. He has written a book designed to provide immediate and dramatic increases in your purchasing power, while actually reducing your time and effort involved in getting maximum $$$$ value.

Steve, a bachelor, writes with a humorous and witty flair...no doubt some of which was developed during the 6 years he spent as a reporter/photographer with several Canadian community newspapers. A multi-talented guy, besides being a freelance writer, Steve is a recording artist, narrator, advertising consultant and copywriter.

Although he currently resides in Toronto, he vows to escape to the country as soon as finances permit. He claims to have worked at occupations which have provided an income low enough to necessitate the development of the techniques outlined in THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER, and has been compiling material for this book since 1981.

For fun reading and knowledge on how to get more for less, send $10.95 ppd. for a copy of Steve's book from Living Skill Books, XXXX Queen St. W-71, Toronto, Canada, O0O-0O0.

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