Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1907-02-01
ORIGIN OF MAIL
ORDER HoUcE
Former Employe Says Plain
Things About Sears. no
buck 8 Company.

Norwood News, Kansas: - DO you
know how Sears, Roebuck q Com'
nany started in business?" asked Mr.
Zandition of the News editor re-
Gently. ~ worked for them nine
years ago. knew Sears when be was
a station agent in Wisconsin anu
Roebuck when he was a watch led-
dler One time Roebuck wanted 10
90 to Milwaukee and didn't have 'he
money; he left a watch as security
with Sears for his fare, telling nun
that if he should be able to sell the
watch for more than S. he mlsh'
keep half he made. Sears solu tue
watch for S12 Then Sears wrote 10
Roebuck in Milwaukee and got MIN
10 send by express dozen watches
70 Bill Jones, Sam Smith and a lot OF
ec,it;o,s names These watches
were billed out at $25 and $40 paid on
them apparently. Sears unloaded
them ON his friends easily at slo
each. which cost him and Roebuck
s350 But the railroad company got
on to the game and fred Sears aud
the two of them opened an oftce IN
Milwaukee. They bought thousand
watches and shipped them to every
axnress office in Kansas, Missouri and
Illinois. These watches cost % Dut
they sold as $50 wathces and marked
$40 paid and to fictitious nsmes'
When the agent reported such matters
b ack as undelivered. then this pair
would write back that some mistake
must surely be made, but as payment
of $40 had been made on this watch
they would give the agent commits
sion of 50 to secure the other sl0.
Well, the watch scheme worked line
and the pair cleared up $40, 600 clear.
Then they bought lot of parlor sets
for children and advertised them,
giving the impression that you would
receive a full set OF furniture for 50 :;
and the people bit all over the
country. Uncle Sam has stopped
Sears, Roebuck g. Company's mail IA
times for fake deals like this bat has
never been able to catch them. Sears
is probably worth nine or ten mill
ions Roebuck is working in Des
Moines, Iowa, for SIS per week, being
forced out OF business several years
ago. As an illustration of how this
firm makes money. About year ago
they bought 5000 bicycles all alike,
and they placed three prices on the
same wheel, which cost them IS, 80
and they sold it for $l2.75, s16.25,
and $40. 90. The same wheel, mind
you, possibly a different color of
paint; but the only difference was
that some people wanted a Sl2. 70
wheel and others $40 90, and they all
got what they wanted. They work
the same graft on clothing. In cata
logues they advertise clay worsteds at
$12. so, SO and SIS. No matter what
you pay, you set the suit, The name
Sears, Roebuck & Company is their
trade mark and as Roebuck has been
bankrupt for several years he is not
connected with the firm, Montgomery
Ward is practically dead and has been
for several years. Yet these people
have been so successful in ealing
from the public such large sums that
it is wonder Uncle Sam allows them
to exist. Their advertisements are
deceptive. They do not fill orders as
the customer thinks they are filled,
yet they are smooth enough to keep
within the bounds Of the law some
way. Even your country merchant
who pays larger wholesale price for
his goods than they do, could get rich
selling better grade Of goods to the
people that patronize these two big
places. l worked for Sears, Roehuck
q Company for two years and know