Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-07-31
Tho Catalogue Houses.

inc Catalogue houses.
A merchant at Morris, ILL.,, 'incor-
porated the following in his ADVERTISE
ment in the local papers. It is argu-
ment which the TRIBUNE is certain
will be backed by many merchants in
Willmar:
"We propose to meet the prices ofthe
department. stores or catalogue houses.
All we ask is that you deal with US on
the same basis that you deal with
catalogue houses and give us the same
amount of time to get the goods which
it would require to get them from
them.
"Plank your money down when you
order the goods and we will meet each
and every price they make and furnish
you the same goods at the same prices
they offer you.
1--WE will go further.
"We don't ask you to take any
goods where mistakes are made in or
dering.
"We'll shoulder the mistakes.
eff any Of you have ever had any
nice little job it is to have it corrected,
no matter how willing the firm is to
do so.
cit takes correspondence, stamps
and freight on the goods to get them
exchanged, to say nothing of the loss
of time.
"some people prefer to buy away
from home because it sounds big to be
able to say they ord cred from Chi
cago, etc.
We know of one party who is &C.
tually paying more for goods bought
away from Morris than he could buy
them of his dealer here.
''This kind of people we can do no.
thing for, bu, the kind who are max
ing the dollar 20 just as far as they
can, we can and will do something for.
"Give us trial on the proposition
we make, if you are one of those who
are buying away from home
Bring your catalogue with you.
eff we fail to furnish the goods
| without a reasonable excuse don't
give us your confidence again.
"Try US once.
1--WE don't fear the result.
"We are your home merchants.
eve help pay taxes.
1--WE have to live and consume some
| OF your product.
lis our proposition wrong.
1.-The whole trouble about our peO-
pie about Morris is the same with
which SO many communities are suffer-
ing.
That old slow-coach credit.
Some of it is SO slow we never get it.
mo merchant can sell goods cheap
on that plan.
'The dollar invested in goods today
and sold for cash tomorrow can be in
| vested in more goods the following
day and the same process of sale may
be repeated, but the dollar invested
in goods today and sold on credit to-
morrow is tied up and it's earning ca
pacity is stopped for the merchants
until he gets it back again.
"Can you wonder why the catalogue
house has the advantage in price over
most of our home merchants?
''The catalogue house won't trust
you; even demand the money in adj
vance with no goods in sight, :
The mail-order house which would
wait for customers to call in or write
them without advertising or sending
out catalogues would not last a week.
Such houses reach out for trade.
Their greatest expense is advertising.
Does that not point out the way of
success for the local merchant? The
local newspapers reach his constitu-
ency every week, furnishing the best
medium for reaching possible custom
ers. If it pays the big houses to use
millions a year to advertise, it stands
to reason that it would pay a small
merchant to use proportionate
amount to push his business. The
merchant who feels the competition of
the mail-order houses the most is
generally the merchant who does not
think it pays to advertise, or when he
does take a small dose of it does not
use his discretion and brains in CON-
posing his ads. A small lad" can
be made effective, by the exercise of
little thought and patience. Increase
it with the increase in your business.
Hard facts and figures is what will
make an impression. Bluster, exag-
geration and sentiment are no more
effective in an advertisement than at
the counter.