Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-04-28
MAIL ORDER TRADE.

corning trade conditions in Chicago
goes to show that the business of the
big mail order houses is constantly
increasing and that in the past twelve
months the sales of one of the biggest
houses of the kind in that city ag
gregated about ninety millions of
dollars.
The Herald is not inclined TO
blatantly assail the tendency of many
people to patrCnize mail order IN
situations and yet we have always
felt that it is mistaken policy for
people to send their orders to such
houses when the goods could have
been obtained from dealers in their
own home towns.
While it may not be proper to
question the privilege of the people to
buy where they please SO long as they
have the money to do so, many rea-
sons can be urged why it is not in
keeping with the policy that makes
for bettermant of conditions in our
community.
We are all apt to deplore the re-
suits of monopoly and denounce the
Standard Oil and other great corpora
tions because smaller competitors
are unable to successfully contend
against them for their share of trade,
and yet many of those who most
loudly proclaim against monopoly are
sending their money to the mail order
houses at the expense of home trade,
and local merchants suffer as result.
There is one thing that many people
fail to take into consideration, and
that is that the money sent to mail
order houses never comes back. The
money spent with your home mer-
chant may 60 through twenty hands
and be back in your own pocket again
by Saturday night. And that is not
all. You send your money in advance
to the mail order houses. You take
what they send you, and you keep it
too, whether it is satisfactory or not.
AS rule they don't take things back.
Even where they agree to do so if not
the long waiting and
quibbling and threatening that has
resulted in the attempt to get your
money back has usually amounted to
a virtual loss of the money. They
don t stand behind your purchases as
your home merchant does. When
things are not right the home mer
chant makes 1t right. He patronizes
you and spends much money in better
ing conditions in which you are also
interested.
Hence we make no apology now
and will have none to make hereafter
in urging the people generally to buy
their goods of the people at home
believing that they will be money
ahead in the end by doing so. There
is no d1sputing the fact that business
has been somewhat slow at times dur
ing the past year in some portions OF
this county. 1t is easy to account for
Ibis by reason of the unusual condl-
tons that have existed, growing out of
last summers's storms.
Merchants in Lancaster have fully
realized these conditions and have
been making special inducements in
offering good goods at lower prices
than were really profitable. They
carry remarkably large and fine
stocks. They are reputable concerns
who ask and deserve the local trade.
This paper has been carrying their
advertisements into your homes week
by week. We know that there are
bargains of some kind for everybody
offered in every issue. So we urge in
all candor-read the advertisements.
Buy of the home dealers who advertise
whenever possible and we believe you
will have no reason to regret it.