The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-08-26
MAIL ORDER COMPETITION.
The following is a clipping from the
Daily Argus of Aurora, Mo-:

Daily Argus of Aurora, Mo-:
OF INTEREST TO MERCHANTS.
A correspondent at Irvington, ILL.,,
writing to one of our exchanges, gives
some very pointed facts about mail or
der houses and how to lessen their
trade, and how some merchants hold
their customers. This is what he says;
s'If our home merchants would adver-
tise their goods properly, the large sup
ply houses would find their trade fall
ing off in the country districts.
"The big department stores advertise
and give prices on every article, while
the home merchant, if he advertises at
all, seldom quotes prices.
"We like to read in our home papers
the prices for which we can buy goods
from our home dealers together with a
description of the goods, SO that we may
know what we can purchase from our
home stores.
"The home merchant, nine times IN
ten, sells his goods as cheap as the same
grade of goods are sold by any OF the
big supply houses, but their customers
don't know it.
GA merchant must not think that
even his best customers are SO familiar
with his goods and prices that he knows
all about it without being informed.
"We can buy as cheap at home as we
can anywhere, and it is the merchants
DUTY to educate his customers to that
belief.
Printers ink is the great business
educator.
Gan average of about $500 per month
is sent away from Irvington to mail or
der houses in distant cities for supplies,
the greater part of which could be
bought at home as cheap.
"If the home merchant would adver-
tise his goods properly''-that's the one
relief from this great enemy OF retail
merchandising.
Since the advent of the free rural de-
livery service all over the country, and
the comparative ease with which the
mail man can place his catalogue and
goods right into the home of every
farmer in the land, the home merchant
should realize that the only way to over
come this trouble is to fight the mail
man with his own weapon, "advertls-
ing''. And "advertislng", in this in
stance, does not mean the time-worn
~. Jones, Staple Groceries" style. 1t
means the '20th Century Style"-the
style the mail man uses.
DON'T take it for granted that every
one within 25 miles of your store knows
everything you have for sale, the quality
of your goods and your prices. Tell
them! Tell them in an attractive, inter
esting way, and do it every day of every
week. Don't put an antiquated "busi-
ness CARD (?) in the local paper and
expect it to bring you the business that
the nail men are spending thousands Of
dollars to obtain.
Every article you advertise should be
fully described and priced. Your goods
are just as high in quality as the mail
! mans, and you can sell just as cheap
but the people don't know it unless you
tell them.
Advertising ''prices" doesn't neces-
sarily mean that you must cut away
your profits and quote "bargain prices
until there's not working margin left
Talk quality -value-worth; not merely
"Cheap John prices.
Have your ads gotten up in an at
tractive style, and insist upon the print
ers following your orders. Don't ALLOW
YOUR ad. to be "thrown together" in al
old way, and showed off into the mos
remote corner of the paper. Get you
ad. into the best position obtainable
and have the copy changed as often a.
possible.