The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-18

rneagreness Of your order There are hum
dreds and hundreds Of merchants from
| the smaller towns OF this territory who
have felt the arctic chill in a big whoIe-
sale town in the larger cities of the corin-
| try and noted the contrast with the efful-
! gent anabIlity of the self-same houses
travelling man, whose name being mem
toned In the house. by the retailer. Is
acknowledged by the house by an assent
ing grunt. In Wichita 1t Is different. The
retailer and wholesaler belong to one sec
ton. Its growth and development aided
by mutual help, is beneficial to both. 1t
Is to their interest to patronize each
other. The Wichita wholesaler knows his
customers. When a retail merchant
comes to Wichita or telephones or tele-
graphs or writes, the wholesaler knows
his man, knows his store. knows what
ne wants; he is glad to get the order; he
never forgets to thank him; he is not
bumptious because the order Is small; he
is always glad to see the retailer; he
makes his stay in Wichita pleasant: the
retailer gets to know other people In WI
chita, and goes away to come again.
You can take into consideration these
eight facts: ~ That Wichita Is readily
reached by telephone by nearly every
point. CD That 1t is possible to get to
Wichita and home again In a few. very
few hours 90 That Wichita business men
conduct their business carefully and the
good pay does not have 60 make up for
losses caused by bad pay. az That goods
are to be bought cheaper IN Wichita than
In other points east of here. (5) That the
retailers credit when deserved, is better
understood because Of an intimate knowl-
edge by the wholesaler Of the retailers
situation. 90 That the goods can be fo,-
warded with more expedition and withore
the annoying delay OF long haul, and
stocks turned oftener. % That the wich-
tia wholesaler tries to satisfy and please,
no matter how small the order, and most
important OF all O that the Wichita
wholesaler knows his customer by name
not only, but by sight, and treats him as
a fellow citizen interested In the develop
ment OF a common territory
This expresses some Of the reasons that
Wichita is increasing 90 rapidly in the
prominence of its wholesale interests. ex-
plains why the wholesale men are erecting
large new buildings and are reaching out
further and further for new territory and
new trade.
1t explains, too, the immense commission
business which is done in this section with
Wichita as its central point
In the retail business of the city great
changes have taken place from former Gus
toms. The practice OF conducting retail |
business in Wichita on borrowed money, |
has, as a general custom, lapsed. Stores |
are conducted on private capital The |
stores are made 10 pay their way as they |
go. All the merchants of Wichita are |
stocking up heavily, more heavily than at |
any time in their history. They are doing |
It with cash. As will be explained further
has also become a cash customer. No one I
ian deny, no one would seek to deny, that
The stores of Wichita are today 800 per cent
better in appearance, In capital invested,
n stocks carried in quantity as well as
quality. than the stores Of Wichita of the
Faunted boom period OF the city, when
money was so plentiful, and when, too, it
vas so often tied to a fictitiously valued
1iece Of real estate instead Of being turned
puck into the business.
Said a banker yesterday to a reporter
or the Eagle: "a few months ago a man
n this city bought store. He came into
his bank and arranged for line OF credit
Everything was made satisfactory. He
las never used his privilege. He has never
.sked for It." That is an instance.
This is the story of the general change
n the retail situation in Wichita Every
merchant Is making money. He doesn't
ave to borrow. The money is going back
nto the growth Of the establishment The
esuk Is the most complete stores in the
ntire southwest.
The financial situation among the farm
rs OF. this section Is unusual, and for
his section without precedent. They had
ne wheat; their corn has never been
qualed. The increase in their holdings
( livestock has been tremendous. In cat
e alone the surrounding counties have |
aimed in the last year the following num-
er:
edgW1ck s.''.'.........ss ........s....... 1,O4S
emo ....,.-.....-........ ................. 6,6t9
oWley ......'........... s................ Z,232
Ia 91l |