The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1908-03-11
BUILDING UP TRADE
METHODS PURSUED BY THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL MERCHANTS.
WORK DURING DULL SEASONS
Necessity Of Advertising and Meeting
Competition Given by the Large
City Department Stores and
MaiI-Order Houses.

The mid-winter period is generaiiy
the dullest in the retail trade. Wh!
this is SO is hard to explain. Farm
ers find time of rest during Febrd-
airy and March. and a portion of April.
and the weather is generally sucn
that they like to keep by their own
firesides. While the country retailers
may find lull in business. it is dif-
ferent with the mail order houses Inc
farmers leisure time affords him
chance carefully to go over the large
catalogues and other advertising mat
ter sent out to him. and quite often
he is attracted by the alluring de
scription of goods and the supposed
low prices. Thus Ii is that the mail
order houses benefit. while the local
merchant loses.
One of the faults OF the average
merchant is that during dull times he
makes no effort TO increase trade He
puts into practice a system of false
economy. He generally curtails his
advertising bills and lets goods re-
main upon his shelves. that a slight
effort in the right direction would re-
move. The mid-winter and the
months of early spring are the best
months for the live merchant to ar
range his campaign for the year. II
is a time when the residents of the
rural communities have not much else
to do but to read A little stroke of
enterprise on part OF local merchants
at this period is more likely to accom-
plish good than at any other time
all ms
prices SO that comparisons can be
made with the mail order house cata-
logues will result in bringing consider
able trade. that otherwise would be d.
verted by the large catalogues
1t will pay the merchant in the small
town carefully to study the methods OF
the large department stores and TO
beenfit by the WORK OF the mail order
concerns The large houses do not lie
down during the dull period. They
make an extra effort to gather in
trade. and these efforts generally win
The present season is an exceptional
one Universal talk Of ranicky times
has made a great class Of people more
economical in their every day affairs.
They are looking for opportunities 10
seve money. Low prices attract them.
The merchant realizing this condition
orn turn matters well to account by
making the right kind OF effort This
is the time when Intelligent appeals
to common sense and the preaching Of
evils of concentration Of CAPITAL. and
the necessity of protecting home in
dustries. will have the most beneficial
effects. The home merchant has all
the advantage over the foreign insti-
tuition He has the goods to show
the people before they pay their
money He should be able TO give
as good values as the largest con
ce-n- His expenses are not ore-half
according to the amount of business
he transacts as are the expenses of
large city department store or the mail
order houses.
The trading away from home evil
is up to the local merchant He
must realize that these DAYS the hack
number. the lazy man and the incom-
petent ones cannot well succeed IN
mercantile life. There IS competition
that must be met and IL must be met
in a business way. The only great
lever that the catalogue houses use
is that OF publicity. Ii is the right
use Of advertising space. and of ad-
vert.sing methods The principles
that apply to the largest concern also
apply to the smallest one. Ii is pure
ly matter of degree The merchant
who does not use printers ink these
days cannot expect to make a great
success in his chosen field