Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-07-05
HOME PEOPLE GAIT BUY.
Chicago Nail Order Houses Only for
Distant Purchasers.

make them throw their doors open +
every buyer who wanted to spend hi
money there, Notwithstanding tn,
statements that the heads Of thes'
concerns have made about runnini
their own business as they please.
The second argument, that "th'
business is essentially mail ORDER" Il
true enough, but why should this in
terfere.
A woman in Chicago or forty miles
away from Chicago has the same mai
privileges as does one a thousand
miles away. Why should 1t not be
right in line to have every woman
in Chicago provided with huge cata
logue and daily bulletins of the bar
gains, from which she could order by
mail, rather than the daily papers,
which every day carry pages and
pages of advertisements for the de-
partment stores?
/ A very large percentage Of the re-
tail business done in Chicago by the
big stores is done through the medium
Of the U. S. mails. The women who
live but short distance out Of the
city, even as far away as a hundred
miles, get the Chicago morning papers
containing the bargain pages as soon
as the woman living but ten minutes
ride from the center Of town.
A great many of these women can
not go down towns to the stores. The
result is that they mail their order and
1t is delivered at the most distant
points the next day. Those nearer
have their orders mailed in the morn.
ing and get the goods in the afternoon.
The mail order houses do not sell
goods that can compete with the retail
stores and that is why they keep the
bars up, not because ut is essentially
mail order"
They will fill orders telephoned in,
provided the person telephoning lives
far enough away so that they cannot
hear the howl when the goods are de-
livered. Why not fill telephone orders
at home?
The cry about delivery charges in
Chicago is as devoid Of sense as are
many Of the others. The systems pro-
vided to-day in Chicago for the trans
portation Of packages reduces this cost
to a minimum. The other stores de-
liver and do not ask the person buying |
the goods to pay the charges either.
The mail order house has poor de-
tense.
The other argument wherein they |
say that they do not want people shop
ping there is a good one. 1t is true.
It is a fine argument on top Of all that.
They do not want people shopping
here, but they do not say why.
Here is the reason: Their goods
will not stand comparison with the
FOODS Of the State street stores or
my other stores in Chicago. Compare
ION would be deadly.
When they say they have not the
that argument Is false and Is
/ willful Misrepresentation, for they
rave the room but they do not want
chicago people who have the advan'
age of being posted to snoop into
heir doings and see the kind Of goods
hey sell the poor, misguided farmer.
Do not let any one fool you or any
I your customers with any such fool
III talk as has been handed out by
laiI order houses as reasons why they
o not open up retail departments in
hicago. They are trying to get as
IT away from that as they possibly
an. That is why they push the dead
ne further and further away every
nee in q while.
There isn't single mail order house
Chicago carrying anywhere near the
ne Of goods illustrated In their catar
CUES. Not 80 per cent Of the lines J
sted can be found. They wait until
icy get the order, then send for the =
,ods, and in the meantime write the
that the great demand
uses q slight delay. They lie and !
ey know It. There is no particular
mand anyhow, and they haven't the
'ods to Ill with II there was.
True enough, the mail order houses q
rry immense stocks, but they carry y
great many of the things that are y
ling best, and when II comes down .,
actual variety, that 10 not to be !
ind. The catalogue is q misrepre- Y
NATION all the way through. II they e'
rried the goods they tell about,
ars-Roebuck's new forty acre plant ..
'uld not be one-eighth large enough. a.
The mail order retail houses are 81
wing as far away from the central -,
rtion of Chicago as they possibly I,
a. They do not want to be too con- ci
nient when the investigation comes.
All Of the big swindles and ques- Vi
nable concerns are being investi- .
ted. The Standard OIL is having 81
fri, and the mail order houses will 81
ne in their turn. g
There are too many farmers coming pi
Chicago for the comfort Of the mail -
Ter people. True enough, they In ~
3 them, but they hope they won't 81
ne; and when they do come, they Oh
It let them wander about through on
stock, they put them in autos and oI
p them az far away from the bust OF
q as they can pc
N investigation into the reasons pr
= the mail order retail houses do