The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-06-10
GIVES G0OO ADVICE
TO MERCHANTS ON THE SUBJECT
OF ADVERTISING.
Mr.. Cooks Address Before the Furni-
ture Dealers Association in Co.
Iunlbia Recently.

In his address at the State Furni-
ture Dealers Association recently
in Columbia Mr.. E. F. Cook, past
president of the association, said
some things that no doubt not only
every furniture dealer in the State,
but every retail merchant would
be interested in knowing.
One of the things he considered
was the mail order houses and their
methods, and how to offset them.
He said:
"One of the few and many ways
to free ourselves of this competition
is to allow the people to order the
goods from our own stores. You
might say, They will not do it. l
say they will, provided you give them
a chance. Show them the goods,
tell them the prices, and invite them
to order from you. How many of
you have ever given them chance?
In your own experience how often
have you sent an order off and wish
ed at that very moment that you
could get the goods the next day?
The merchant in the small or larger
town, who finds that his trade is be-
ing cut into by the mail-order hous-
es, too often spends his time and
money in addressing his former GUS
toners upon the grounds that they
ought to trade with him.
1T Is pretty safe to say that an
argument of this kind never has,
and never will, convince a single
customer If customer were to
come into your store and say you
ought to sell him goods below cost,
you would, quite naturally laugh
at the idea. But it is just as rea-
sonable for that customer to expect
you to sell him goods below cost as
ii is for you to expect your neighbor
to buy from you when they can get
the same goods elsewhere for less
money.
when you are fighting competi-
tion-and this does not apply to
mail-order competition alone-just
remember that the dollar argument
is the trade drawing argument every
time.
"a good mailing list is valuable
asset to any retail business, but it
is particularly valuable in reaching
persons who might reasonably be
expected ITO become customers of
yours. If you see to it that some
good, live piece of advertising mat
ter, quoting prices and with lot of
selling talk in it, reaches your pros
pectiTe customer among the people
at regular periods-once week is
not by any means too often and once
month is hardly often enough
you will be surprised at the increase
of business which it brings you.
with the catalogue of the mail
order house in his home, very often
one feels in close touch with the
concern issuing the catalogue than
he does with the storekeeper in the
village some seven or eight miles
away. The mere fact of being on
your regular mailing list will go far
to overcome this bias feeling, and
if your prices are right, and your
goods come up to your descriptions,
you.'will not have any great difficulty
in keeping your customers in line
and m winning new customers all
the time.
"In each piece of advertising mat
ter sent you should have little
statement of one of the reasons why
it is to the advantage of the persons
addressed to trade with you. Some
of the points on which it is we'll to
lay emphasis are:
Il. The advantage Of seeing
goods before purchase is made.
90. The saving in time.
"3. The personal guarantee which
you put behind all of your goods.
But above all, in every piece Of
advertising matter dwell upon the
fact that, quality considered, you can
sell him just as cheaply as any mail
order house, when the cost Of freight
or express is added. And it Is fact
that in all except few lines the
average retail store can sell goods
at a profit just as cheaply as the
mail-order houses do. In their ad-
vertising matter the mail-order hous-
es dwell at length upon the economi-
cal conditions by which they operate
absence of store hire, clerk hire,
etc. In your advertising you can
point ca. that man. ut these SEEM
ing economics are such in nem'
only. Wherever goods are stored
there must be rent charge of some
kind, and it is probale that this is
higher in Chicago than in your own
town.
Though no clerks attent behind
the counter, yet the mail-order house
must maintain a legion Of stenogra-
piers, order clerks, shipping clerks,
etc. Add to this the expense of the
return of orders, which we're not
satisfactory, and you will find that
the mail-order man has not such
cinch as it looks like upon first
glance. 1t is pretty safe to say that
the local merchant will never sue
ceed in putting his Chicago competi