Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-04-20

The above item clipped from the Chicago Record.
Herald under date Of April l3h aud was part Of the
account OF the strike Of Montgomery Ward & Co.'S
teamsters.
We publish this item for the reason that this firm
and other catalogue houses attempt to create the i'm.
preston that retail merchants buy their goods from
them, catalogue house used to print in their
catalogues, that "by reading the catalogue you could
find out the price the local merchant paid for his
goods Desiring TO create the impression that their
price was the same the local merchant had to pay
Another catalogue house prints paragraph OF some
length In the front OF their catalogue which, VIII lie II
does not actually say so, would lead the reader 10
think that many retail merchants bought their goods
from them and paid just the same price the reader
would pay then would sell the goods to their customers
at profit.
The news item we publish above Is the best evidence
that they are attempting to deceive the purchasing pub
lie, In this respect at least for here II Is clearly stated
that they were receiving goods from these wholesale
firms, which the same firms that we and other
merchants buy our goods from.
Marshall Field Co., John '. FarweIl & Co., and
Carson Pirie Scott Co. are all wholesale dry goods
dealers, and we buy from all Of them. NJ D. Wells &
Co. and SELF, Schwab Co. are wholesalers and manu-.
facturers Of Shoes and we have no doubt but their
goods are for sale in Audubon. Pkin & Brooks are
wholesalers Of crOckery and know that there are
dealers here who buy from them.
AS Montgomery Ward & Co. and the local merchants
OF Audubon are buying their goods at the same Identical
sources, how can II be that Montgomery Ward & Co.
can SELL they Intimate at the same price the local
dealer pays.
We have always contended. and still maintain, that
these catalogue houses cannot, and do not sell the
same goods for any less than any wide awake and up
tO'date local merchant can and does sell them.
We grant that they buy and sell larger quantities
than any small merchant in the country and IL their
cost OF selling more than that of the average
local merchant then they could possibly sell at lower
prices BUT their cost Of doing business is enormous
Montgomery Ward & Co.'S catalogues and delivering
them, alone, according TO their own statement published
in 1902, cost them nearly two, million dollars. Their
other expenses including clerk hire, insurance, taxes
Advertising freight, delivery Of goods at depOts main
tainance OF building rent etc., according 10 their
own statement cannot be less than one and one.ha
million dollars MORE and II is probably not less than
two million.
Therefore we unable to in what way they can
sell their goods at lower price than we sell ours and
granting for argument sake, that they DO by reason Of
their large purchases buy their goods some cheaper
than the local merchant yet the excessive cost Of SELL
ing than makes up the difference in price paid on
purchases.
Now mind don't want the reader to mentally dis.
pute the statements we have made the ground that
they have at time bought article from cat.
alOgue house, at lower price than il could be bought
from local dealer, for we are not cOntending about
any kind Of goods except the kind we handle II you
have bought any Dry Goods, Carpets Millinery from
them at lower prices than we sold them at, providing
Of course, that il was the grade Of goods, then
you may dispute our statements, but not otherwise.
We mention this account Of an incident related
u.s. about sending to of the catalogue houses
for road scraper, something of the kind which he
claimed considerably less than he could have got II
from local dealer. Now II Is possible that II this
should read this, he would Immediately think about that