Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-09-04
KEEPING TRADE AT HOME.
Sound. Practical Advice From Man Who
Has Had Thirty.two Years Experience
and Study Of the Question.

/
ceived a communication from the
st. Paul Trade journal, one of the
best trade publications of the country,
asking him to give them his experience
and plan of keeping trade at hcme {"
recognizing that he has been success
full in this respect to a degree seldom
attained among merchants in small
cities like Decorah, or much larger,
for that matter. In reply Mr.. Bear
wrote an article for publication in
that journal that hits the nail on the
head so squarely that we reprint it in
full, believing that his advice should
be followed by all merchants. The ar
ticle is as follows:
Answering your recent communica-
tion, in which you ask for my views
and experience on certain subjects.
such as Advertising Retail Store"
Advantage of Cash System.
| Keeping Trade at Home,' etc. with
your kind permission I will take for
my little chat with you Keeping
Trade at Home"
| In my thirty-two years of experience
/ in the clothing business. it has always
been my policy to use every customer
who comes to my place of business
fair and square. am not taking any
particular credit for that, as any
merchant who starts out in business,
no matter when or where, no matter
what line of business he may follow,
must be honest to make success.
have been in the clothing busi-
ness in Decorah. Iowa, city of about
5000 people, for thirty-two years, and
from the start made up my mind
that it should be ons of my first aims
to get all the customers could. and,
after getting the customers, to try my
very best to keep them. am safe in
saying that we have not only managed
to keep our customers all the time,
those who have traded with us thirty
two years ago, but have added new
ones each year. This has been done,
because we have always given our
trade good values for what they paid
us; and, not that alone. but we have
done better than that-we have sold
cheap, but never making a practice to
sell trash.
The mail order houses of late years
have done their best, by we'll planned
advertising, and other schemes, to get
hold Of the country trade in general,
and in some places they have sue
ceeded fairly we'll. But candidly
believe that the mail order concerns
sell less clothing to this county than
to any other in the West. This has
been proven beyond any doubt, as we
have watched the thing very closely
for good many years, and have
found but little, if any, clothing sent
to this town by mail order people.
We have had another proof that our
customers do their trading at home,
as during the worlds fair in 1898 in
Chicago. many of our customers took
in the exposition. and we can make
the truthful statement that not / per
cent Of the people bought stitch of
clothing there. It is true they
shopped around, but concluded wisely
that they could do much better at
home.
I have always followed the policy
Of selling goods at a close price,
rather than to charge high price for
our merchandise. always giving the
best values possible.
Customers know merchandise and
values as we'll as the merchants them
selves. and the idea some merchants
have, that customers do not know
quality when they see it, is all wrong.
Keeping trade at home can be done,
and is done, and merchants who will
follow giving their patrons the best
the market affords for reasonable
price, will find no trouble to get the
trade of the community they do bust
ness in.
We do not make it a practice to
argue with customers about mail
order houses. we simply show up to
them the advantages Of trading at
home. This is easily done, as any
one will concede that buying at home
is by far more preferable than to send
of for goods.
Customers can come to US and buy
what they want. select what they
like. examine the goods and give
them another rigid examination when
they get them home and, if anything
is not just as represented, goods can
be returned. and the money is cheer
fully refunded. The latter is an argu-
ment which they will rot and cannot
get from the mail order concerns
The whole thing lies in handling
your customers, and have faith
enough in human nature and in the
good sense of the community in which
we live, that il you treat the people
right, and use them we'll, give them
all they are entitled to, work hOnest-
ly, and give full valne for every dol.
| lars you get for your merchandise,