The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-25
COUPON SCHEME PROMOTER
Word of Warning in the Interest of Home
Mercbans.

The Eagle has never in its history mis-
business men, but mas on every occasion
where il saw tnat they were about 10 be
imposed upon, sounded the note of warn
ing. The last scheme that struck the
rown is a coupon affair. in which the
promoters furnish a little bit of station
cry of a book OF coupons. with a
smooth story-only one kind OF business
allowed in the secheme, five per cent
Of the sales goes to the man who intro
duces the scheme. The merchant VINO
goes irto it either gives the man five per
cent of his profit or adds FIVE per cent
to his goods. Some one pays this fellow
big bonus for furnishing them with a
little cheap stationery, some extra trou-
BILE and good deal cheaper talk. This
is the new scheme. 1t is like the
measles in a town. 1t was gotten up
in the east. They got well of it there
some two or three years ago, but it
spread west, for there are suckers every
where, and finally ii mas struck Wich-
ita, but we believe our business men are
too shrewd to be taken in by it and we
know they won't if they will give the
scheme ten minutes careful study alone,
without the smooth clap-trap of the pro-
moter trying to convince them. What
guarantee does the coupon man furnish
to perform the great amount of work
ne talks so glibly about? How large
stock does ne carry? Why should our
merchants enter into contract with
firm that nobody knows, to try to get
people to trade with him or them, car
Tying the same kind OF goods that doz-
en- other merchants in the town carry?
What will the other merchant think Of
a scheme of that kind where a small mi
nority enter into a combine with a
stranger VINO proposes 10 rent small
corner OF some establishment to store
his stock? If they only take one of each
kind OF business in it and each one OF
these businesses has from three TO a
half dozen competitors. how long will
it be, If there was anything in II, be-
fore ell the other establishments would
find out who the coupon fellows were
and would, in a combined or even single
effort on the part Of each, stop trading
with these select fellows themselves,
losing their good will? How long would
a merchant OF this town do a successful
business If he did not have the trade
and good will of mis- fellow-merchants in
a different branch of business from him?
How many people in this city can be in
duced to buy goods OF some particular
house and pay per cent more for them
than they can buy them next door for,
because that is what it means. for IL it
was on a proposition of selling for )
per cent or more less, how long would
the competitor next door SIT around and
be undersold? What would the good
housewife think who was called into the
parlor by a stranger 10 listen to a
scheme proposing that she should deal
at some particular house or with some
particular merchant in the town ~ the
exclusion OF all the other, in order that I
she might get five-ceut coupon which !
would De good afier accommodating GER
tain number. on certain new establish |
meut (providing they are still in roHnl [
for such articles as they nave, and the (
variety very small. of such goods as are I
on sale 81 a half dozen places in the I
city, which are in strong competition /.
with each other. We done know that :
anyone has entertained the proposition. I
ana don't believe that anyone Will after !
giving il careful thought. Wichita busi
ness men are on the market with their 4
wares in open ompetitiou-5eiieve in +
giving and tsking-giying each comPeti- (
tor chance FOR MS white alley. Com
petition makes business; business makes
cities; cities make rich, prosperous mer- /
chants \ conhiRatkoa Of al these eIe- /
ments is assured success. Primarily. the
scheme is in the interest OF the promoter
sndxH result finally in an injary u the +
merchant wao goes into IL Deal WIKI, +
stand by. help and assist your home mer-
,hant WAC owns Ms goSds. has a R7ms
sni property and pays his taxes and
helps carry the local burdens.