The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-10-15
THE OTHER SIDE OF MAIL ORDER
BUSINESS.

home merchant be patrOnlZed 1nSCedu
of the mail order house? The subject
has been exhausted almost and from
all points of view and all sides there
is no valid reason why the merchant
at home should not-excepting two,
price and articles wanted.
II is not the intention of the writer
to lot down a pleasant flow of lang
uage or to produce an interesting plt
of reading matter, but merely TO state
in a few simple sentences what have
seen and learned of the competition
between the catalogue houses and the
home merchants In the first place
no one community suffers greatly IN
this competition. That makes the
nroblem all the more difficult in solu-
tion. I mean by this that the ma
iority of buyers in no one community
purchase by mail. The business OF
the mail order house is scattered over
a large territory, the number OF OF
ders coming from any one community
compared with the whole is compare
tivelv small to the number OF orders
in the town. There is an exception TO
This in a community where the home
merchants are dead ones and ask ex-
orbitant prices.
To illustrate. There is little city
in the central part of Wisconsin,
beautiful little place, with It's shaoy
streets and pleasant homes: IL nae
several general stores owned by i've,
wide awake merchants, VINO are nus'f
ing for business, yet are always pleae-
ant and ready to visit WIN cusIo-
mer. They are not put out at any
time to show goods, taking down DOL.
after bolt of cloth and maybe then not
making even a scent sale. They take
that as part of their business; tney
are always willing to SEND post-hasle
to the city for any article tney may
not have in stock that is wanted ny
a customer; their stocks are up-Io-uaCe
and free from shelf-worn goods. Ihese
men make the humblest customers
feel welcome in their stores, and par
ticular attention is paid to waiting on
children, giving them even petter-
measure and quality than their elders
would receive. And these men are al
yertisers. The ads in the local papers,
are changed regularly and show tlme
and study. They meet the mail order
man more than half way in special
sales and clearing odds and enos.
Here is an instance where there is no
legitimate excuse for person seho-
ing away after goods. And the peo-
nile do not. Very few articles or gen
eral merchandise are shipped into that
city. The buyer and seller are WORK
ing in harmony to their own petter-
ment and advantage.
But look at the other side. The city
which we have in mind has one hard-
ware and one furniture store. Botn
have fairly good stocks for the size
of their circle of trade, but just step
into either one of these stores. The
proprietor may be in the back room
or the back yard for all you know,
hit by and by some stir is heard and
leisurely he makes his appearance
neither store has need of clerk-and
probably with some grumbles about
being disturbed, asks what is wanted.
There might as well be placards IN
the store announcing BUY what I've
got, but keep stilP' and I'VE are BUSY,
don't disturb u.s." No effort is MADE
to show you an article; nothing is
ever taken down from the shelves I'M
less directly asked for. Neither hard
ware nor furniture man acts willing
to get you what you want If he does
not have it in stock. And again
neither of these stores believe in adj
vertising They use no space in their
home papers; newcomer would
never know the city possessed such
places of business enterprise. Who
ever heard of a country hardware or
furniture store having special sale,
or harvest sale or the like? But why
not? These two storekeepers are bit
ter against the mail order houses. l