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Sam Goody

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Entrepreneur

The Resume

    (February 25, 1904-August 8, 1991)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Birth name was Samuel Gutowitz
    Founded the music store Sam Goody (1951)
    Sold the 26-store chain to the American Can Company (1978)
    Under American Can ownership, the chain became a shopping mall staple
    320 stores at the time of his death
    As of 2023, all but two had closed or been converted to FYE stores

Why he might be annoying:

    He started selling toys, moving into music after a customer asked for his help in tracking down old 78-rpm records of Enrico Caruso and other opera singers.
    He changed his name to match the store.
    He noted about a promotion in which he gave away half a million silver dollars to customers who spent $15 or more, ‘I should have kept the silver dollars and given away the business…. When the price of silver jumped like never before, I could have gotten $10 million for my $500,000 purchase.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    When long-playing albums first hit the market, he gave free turntables to anyone spending more than $25.
    Although he lost money on the promotion, he noted ‘That meant 40,000 new customers.’
    In the mid-1950s, his flagship store on Manhattan’s West 49th Street was responsible for 7% of all US record sales.
    The flagship store boasted an extensive inventory and incredibly knowledgeable sales staff.
    He offered such great bargains that one competitor wondered, ‘What does Goody pay for this product to be able to sell it for less than I can buy it?’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 15 Votes: 0% Annoying