T H E E A R LY DAY S • 21 STICKY WRAPPERS After the war, for several years, business was excellent. Harold sold the very first truckload of Tootsie Roll products ever to the First National Stores, one of the biggest grocery chains in the Northeast. A guy named Jerry Murphy was the most important buyer for First National. He gave my dad, and later, me, a hard time. He would say, “Don’t sell me anything that won’t give me 17% profit,” which is nothing today. Shortly after the big First National deal, my dad had a chance to sell a major order of Tootsie Pops to a large customer. At the big meeting, Harold took out an assortment of pops to give the customer as a sample. When he tried to unwrap the pops, the wax wrapper stuck to the candy shell. The reaction from the customer was like a lead balloon. Not a good way to sell Tootsie Pops. And not a happy night to be with my dad. And though my dad was very upset, he stayed calm and positive. In the late 1940s The Sweets Company decided to put their sales force on commission. This change provided their sales people with an opening to take on non-competing confectionery lines, which was good. During this period Harold picked up other lines and met many of the manufacturers that gave the confectionary business its special character. One of the most