The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1906-09-18
MAIL ORDER EVILS
SOME COGENT ARGUMENTS IN
FAVOR or HOME TRADING.
Money Spent with Local Dealer Goes
to Swell Prosperity and Promote
Progress of Local Community,
with Benefit 10 All.

The Retailers Journal Of Chicago,
prints the following, pointing out the
adyisability of citizens of commu-
nifty doing all in their power for the
encouragement and support of home
business enterprises:
From your side, Mr.. Consumer,
who think 1t to your advantage to
patronize mail order concerns, may
come reasons which would seem to
justify your course. You may say OF
your local merchant: He doesn't
keep the goods, or He sticks 1t on
in price Replying to these objec-
tons, let us ask: Do not you expect
too much of your local dealer? Do
you give him a fair chance to put
himself right with you? When you
go to him for small amount of any
commodity, and expect him to give
you the advantage Of whole-p package
prices, are you giving him fair treat
ment? Try him on this proposition.
and see how 1t works: Buy of him
in quantity as you do of your mail
order house, and see If you don't get
the benefit of lot prices. Try him
on standard articles, on which the
mail order house can have no unfair
advantage in the test. Do this and
you will find that your despised home
merchant can hold his own against
the seductive allurements of catalogue
houses.
And, again, Mr.. Consumer, we
would ask: What guaranty have you
that your mail order purchases are in
spection proof, or what assurance
have you that errors and shortages
will be easily and speedily rectified?
These are incidents of the mail pur-
chasing scheme which must be taken
into consideration.
Another deplorable phase of the
mail order system which occurs to us
at this time is the awkward position
| in which you, Mr.. Consumer, may
| find yourself when once you have al
| lied yourself with the catalogue con-
Germs. You fall into the habit of So
| iiciting trade for them among your
neighbors and friends, thereby consti
tuting yourself an unpaid emissary
of a power that is undermining the
stability of your local institutions and
sappng the life current of your home
community. That a resident should
thus operate against the best inter
ests of his own neighborhood Is
sad commentary of the loyalty and
foresight of our people.
TT is of great convenience to have
at hand a list from which to select
names and prices of commodities you
desire to purchase and then simply
write them down and mail your order.
but you pay for the convenience. You
also pay for a great many articles you
do not really need. That is where the
catalogue gets in its work.
Your local dealer Is, as a rule,
ever on the alert to please you and
anxious to hold your trade He may
not at all times be prepared to sup
ply your every need But If you will
be reasonable with him and stand as
ready to help him as he is to help
you, it is safe to say that he will
make amends for any seeming over
sight or remissness
"The profits of your home dealer go
to swell the prosperity and promote
the progress of your section. Tote
fair with him. give him the encour-
agement of your patronage; strength
en- him with your cash instead of send.
Ing it away to mail order houses, and
the results will be sure to repay you
and rebound to your everlasting
credit"