Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-08-19
OLD TOWN WAKING UP
Merchants win Advertise Prices
In Home Newspaper.
COMPETE WITH CATALOGUES.
l1he Editors rints as to How Mail
Oreer Houses Exploit Their Wares
Start Two Local Storekeepers on a
Campaign to Recover Lost Ground.

GfouI OF "i nriEhbors was clad to
gather around the biz stove in the Of
flee Of .ht Grand Central hotel. Near
y ever. .."u, you know, has Il Grand
Central hotel and this was Just an av-
eragc .HWn. SO chilly was the wind
thar tho newspaper editor stuck
by Tue r1e instead of going to the
depot. rsual to see the evening train
from lEc oily come in.
"Aoru miss some personal items for
you rom," remarked the doe
tor
ESQ. - the editor replied. This
old JoNu has grown so dull of late that
scarcely ANS body from the city stops
off here and since the mail order
houses have been doing SO much ad
ycrtisin@ IN these parts it's not neces-
sary for anybody to run up to the city.
The can lust stick a postage stamp
on all envelope ana order what they
want or what they think they want,
though they don't always want the
goods after they see them"
"lIave to take em, though" COM
mented the hotel clerk.
"Of course, since they're already
paid for. It's like the way we used to
trade pocketknives, 'unsight unseen
you know, when we were boys. But
prefer to see what l buy before
hand.
whats that you say about these
mail order houses advertising?" asked
the dry goods merchant. 81 haven't
seen any of their ads. in your paper
$40, but if you would keep your eyes
peelci, rs man in your line of bust
ness ought to, you'd find out that these
,big city houses are simply flooding the
eountrv with price catalogues an inch
thick and as long as the unabridged
dictionary: also they're advertising
III all sorts Of cheap skate weekly and
r.ontllE periodicals called mail ORDER
papers. which circulate for about
dime or quarter year. They print
their prices-dont forget that-and it's
easy 10 order"
The dry goods man looked little
uneasy.
Nes." continued the editor The mail
order people print their prices right
thcre th The descriptions of the
goods Did YOU ever take enough
space in ~ paper to print the price of
u yard OF dress goods or suit OF
elothes " auy'hing of that sJrt?'
"Wei 7 keep Il standing ad. in your
paper tl tle year around"
"Ycs. that's tue, but what does your
nd. san: Just this: Jones 81 Thomp-
eon, dealers in dry goods, clothing,
hats. caps. boots, shoes, etc Now,
what 90 .,ou expect: Doesn't every
body know that you're Il dealer in
thosc things? They can read that
mucA Jour store sign Nearly ey-
cry family in this town and n"ighbor.
hood t ses my paper, If y"n N1Di'
print some of your prices special u"-
gains u.w and then, for instance-i
rather mink you would get quite ii
few o. tese orders which no go oat
b. NAL.
The dry goods man sat tloughtlullE
for Il few minutes. Finally he turned
to the editor.
"How much space does our adj take
up in your paper now"
1.-TWO inches, single column"
"Wcl, begin this week and make it
half column double. Well print
price to beat the band. We've got
goods down III our store that are right
,up to date, and our prices are not so
much d ferent from the mail order
nrices as to make it worth mans
while to walk past our store and
patronize the postolfice. on some
things we are lower than the mail or
der houses, and the goods are right
here for inspection. I've been think
ing this matter over lately myself, anc
hereafte~ Jones & Thompson are go
ing to DO some advertising of the right
sort. | had a talk with Bob Rhodes
about this, and he gave me some
ideas"
"poor old Bob" said the doctor.
"Whv. he's been making this town as
IN grocery drummer for ton years, but
he told me last month that he had to
cut liz OF, ,ocluse so many folks pat
ronized the mail order houses that he
couldn't sell enough goods here to
make 1t profitable to stop off. He said
the farmers even bought their matches
By mall
Just then the door opened. and the
veteran Bob Rhodes stalked in carry
ing a suit case.
"Why, Bob, we thought you'd given
as the shake" said the editor.
"Wen boys" replied the Old drum
mer 81 lust had to come around once
more to say hello. but this will have
to be The last trip
.Iooll here, Bob Rhodes spoke up
Tim Wilson. the grocer. "you come
around to my store. and III buy Dill
of cocls that will make Your eyes
Ibulce This talk tonight and the one
I'VE had last month have opened my
ewes. I'm going 10 put an adj. IN Tom
Clarl's paper rs long rs your arm
.and print inc price Of everything from
la box oil matches to smoked nam
Were waking up around mere. lou