The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1908-01-31
USE PRINTERS INK?
1EsT METHOD. OF COMBATING
MAIL-oRDER EVIL.
HOME MERCHANT TO BLAME
Facilities for Attracting Custom Are
at His Command In the Columns
OF He Home Newspaper-Ad-
vertise Rightly.

Much has been written about the
subtle influence of the big four-pound
catalogues sent broadcast over the
land by the houses located in the big
cities, and which, strange to say, re-
fuse to sell goods to the residents of
| the cities in which they are located.
There Is no mysterious element in
these bulky paper books. From cover
to cover they are filed with pictures
and with prices and descriptions of
goods. 1t is the power of printers
ink that is the only magnet, and this
magnet can be used by merchants
everywhere. The publishers of these
great catalogues do business running
well up toward the fifty millions year.
ly. All their success has been in the
ink they use, and the way they use
it. Because these concerns receive
patronage that should go to the home
| merchant it is the home merchants
fault. He neglects to do just what
the houses which publish the big cata-
iogues do. He may not have the
money to get out such a great list,
neither the means of carrying great
stocks Of goods. Yet he possesses all
the means necessary to gain the trade
that goes to these great concerns.
He can buy goods just as low, has less
expense, and while the big catalogue
goes to customer only once in a
year or two, through the medium Of
the local newspaper the merchant can
! go to all the people of the community
once week and at the lowest ex-
pense.
AS to the matter of prices, the big
catalogue is an educator. 1t tells
the people of values. These values are
associated with classes of goods. The
merchant in the home town can turn
this information to his own account
In the catalogues are only pictures.
The merchant can show the goods,
and can explain the difference be-
tween grades. 1t is evident that If
trade is to be held at home it must
be upon business basis. Sentiment
cuts mighty small figure in matters
where dollars and cents are con-
cerned. The average farmer would
rather buy goods from the home store
than from some distant place If he
is only sure that he is getting a square
deal. 1t is up to the merchants to
let him know that he is getting this
square deal. There are towns in
the western agricultural sections
which a few years ago were getting
only half the trade that was to be
had in the district. Merchants be-
came convinced that they were weak
somewhere. They found that they
were not advertising rightly and COM
menced campaign which has result
ed in driving the catalogue houses
out of business as far as these towns
are concerned. The newspapers Of
these towns tell of the enterprise of
the merchants. The merchants them
selves will tell you that they do not
fear the mail-order houses, as they
have educated the people to trade at
home. The people who were mail
order house patrons will tell you that
they know that they can do better by
buying at home, that they are con-
WINGED that their interests are best
protected by the home merchant, and
that since they have thrown off the
mail-order habit they arc saving more
money. The mail-order house is a
great bugaboo. 1t is not near the evil
than many suppose it is. 1t is harm
full only in accordance with the lack
of enterprise on part of the home mer-
chants. Where the merchants are
awake, are up-to-date, and advertise
rightly, there is no complaint as "a
the mail-order system.
Each country editor can do his
share in educating the merchants as
we'll as the people in business meth
DDS, in principles that are helpful to
the home town. The live merchant
can hold his own. Business is based
upon such principles as give the
competent merchant fair show in
the competition for trade. No one
person has monopoly of the right
to advertise. The way is as open to
the small merchant as it is to the big
one. The principles involved apply
to the small business as we'll as to
the large business. The only magic
used by the catalogue houses is that
found in advertising and in prices.
D. M. CARR.