User Reviews

This episode is from Season 2 of "The Andy Griffith Show" and originally aired in March 1962. It is most notable for featuring a guest appearance by Sterling Holloway, better known as the beloved voice for Disney's Winnie the Pooh. His smooth, almost falsetto voice is unmistakable.

Here, he plays a traveling salesman named Bert Miller with various physical ailments that is making it hard for him to keep selling door-to-door. Andy suggests he set up on a sidewalk bench and catch customers as they pass by. Things go well until cranky store owner, Ben Weaver, catches the salesman. He promptly goes to Sheriff Taylor and demands he put a stop to it. Weaver is aptly played by Will Wright. Wright is a man that seemed to be born old and often plays crodgy old men.

Sheriff Taylor makes it his mission to help this salesman set up a sales stand just to aggravate Mr. Weaver. But Weaver stays one step ahead and decides to sell all his merchandise at rock bottom prices to run off Miller. Andy realizes they are licked and is helping Miller load up all his merchandise on a consignment truck when Weaver sees it. He thinks the truck is a merchant trying to open a new store with Miller. Andy plays along and lets Weaver think this. Weaver offers to set Miller up by offering him a job with his company. Andy acts as the go between and says Miller will only work for Weaver if he'll buy of Miller's stand, lock stock and barrel.

Barney tells Weaver he is getting the best salesmen in Mayberry, and Weaver says "Nah, the 2nd best." Barney says "Well who's the best?" to which Weaver answers "You ought to know, you work for him."

The Merchant of Mayberry is kind of a class in micro economics. If the berg of Mayberry is a market there's always a person who wants the whole pie. When that person feels they're having to share the pie then the idea of fair competition is ripe for differences of opinion leading to that old bugaboo of humanity...selfishness. Who better in Mayberry to represent this than resident Scrooge, Ben Weaver.

When traveling salesman Miller, played by the ever warm and fuzzy Sterling Holloway, returns to town and begins selling on the sidewalk local store owner Ben Weaver takes offense. Ben wants Miller out, and as usual he threatens Andy's position as Sheriff If he doesn't shut down Miller. Instead Andy helps Miller abide by the law and continue to operate. Incensed Ben notches it up more as Andy does the same. So well does Andy's aid help that Miller is doing a brisk business. So with a bit of cagey engineering Andy manipulates Ben Weaver to do what larger businesses frequently do to protect market share: buy out the competition even offering a job for Miller in the process. This works for everyone as underselling as Ben was trying is a dead end in itself. Sure real world economics are more complicated, but this distills it down to more of a morality play which has become lost in today's world. I like the simple message - a message which in a more perfect world would be a good mirror of David vs. Goliath one might say. Another very good lesson buried in homespun humor? Definitely.