The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1908-03-14
BUILDING UP TRADE
METHODS PvRevEp ev vnG MOST
SUCCESSFUL MERCHANTS.
WORK DURING DULL SEASONS
Necessity of Advertising md nsest,no
Composition oi~eo by ths LArps
City Dspars~srt eto~es I'D
Maii-Oruer Hovses.

The midwfntex period n generally
the duliest In the retail trade Why
this is so Is bard 20 e1plain- Farm
ers find a time Of rest during Febru-
AIRY and March, and portion Of Aprfi.
and the weather Is generally such
that they Ike 10 keep by their own
firesides While the country retailers
may find a hull In business, n is diff
ferent with the mail order houses. The
farmers leisure time affords him a
chance carefully 20 go over the large
catalogues and other advertising mat
ter sent out 10 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 let's 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
10 do but TO read. A little stroke Of
enterprise on part of local merchants
. III t,A Ac lFn1 ffto
pllsh good than at any other time
Well prepared circulars quoting
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.
II will pay the merchant In the small
town carefully 10 study the methods OF
the large department stores and 70
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 10 gather In
trade. and these efforts generally win
The present season is an exceptional
one. Universal talk OF panicky times
has made a great class OF people more
economical in their every day affairs.
They are looking for opportunities 20
save money. Low prices attract them.
The merchant realizing this condition
can turn matters we'll TO account by
making the right kind OF effort This
ia 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 10 give
as good values as the largest con.
Germ. His expenses are not one-half
according to the amount OF business
he transacts as are the expenses OF a
large city department store or the mail
order houses
The trading away from home evil
is up 10 the local merchant. He
must realize that these days the back
number, the lazy man and the incom-
petent ones cannot we'll succeed In
mercantile life. There is competition
that must be met. and It must be met
In a business way. The only great
lever that the catalogue houses use
10 that OF publicity" II is the right
use OF advertising space. and OF ad-
vertlsing methods. The principles
that apply to the largest concern also
apply 70 the smallest one: II 10 pure
ly matter OF degree The merchant
who does not use printers Ink these
days cannot expect TO make great
success In his chosen field.