Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-01-06
BUSINESS At HOME,
Effective Method of Fighting the
Catalogue House.
TWO PROMINENT FEATURES,

Buying In Bulk, Paying In Cash at
Bedrock Prices and Selling Strictly
For Cash.
Many retail merchants have found
that the most effective method of fight
ing the catalogue houses is to meet
them With their w weapons. There
is no question that the two great fea-
lures of the mail order business are
publicity and price. The publicity is
gained through the catalogue, the
price through buying or manufacture
ing in large quantities and selling di-
rect. The small retail merchant can
compete With the big houses OF both
lines. BY watching opportunities. buy
ing in bulk and paying cash at bed
rock prices and, what is still more i'm
portant, selling for cash he can match
the mail order prices or sell under
them. AS for publicity. he can meet
catalogue with catalogue, a method
that many merchants have found high
ly profitable.
l have before me an account of a
case in point. 1t is published in the
National Hardware Bulletin and re-
counts the experience OF j. M. Thomp-
son & Sons, a retail hardware firm of
Owatonna, MINI. In the spring Of
1905 this house issued it's first cata-
logue and recently got out a third one.
1t has doubled it's business in that
short time, although it had a thriving
trade before. Its first catalogue was a
thirty-two page, costing $50 a thou
sand; the last one, sixty-four pages.
costing $50 per thousand. BY electro
tipping it's pages it avoids setting much
new matter. The general style Of the
catalogues follows that Of the mail
order houses. Distribution is made
through the mails, although personal
inspection Of goods is invited rather
than orders by post, and the advan-
tage is pointed out that the customer
thus has the advantage Of seeing what
he gets and is not buying a pig in a
poke, as with the big catalogue houses.
In the Introduction to their second
catalogue the Thompsons make the
following announcement:
1--WE are fully WARE that this is a
progressive age and a time when near
ly every one is well read and posted
and knows exactly what he wants or
nearly so and wishes to buy and will
buy where he can at the best value
for his money; also that the time has
gone by when one man wishes to pay
a%nother's bad debts or to pay big in.
terest on his purchases by having
than ohorrnI fD,. f,.o,, tbron p,cr+l,,
to three years. For this reason we sell
hardware for cash, as it is the only
way we can sell at the lowest prices
and at the prices at which we are con-
t~inually selling.
This store does for you what the
catalogue house does not. For your
convenience we keep at all times a
carefully assorted stock Of s%easonable
hardware. You can come to our store
and make your selection from the &C.
tual goods and not by pictures. An
other advantage in buying from us is
that if you buy an article that is not
what it should be, in your opinion. you
can come to us and talk it over person
ally, Il it is one of our infleXible
rules that we satisfy each customer
in the fullest sense of the word, both
in regard to price and quality. We
can show only Il small part Of our
stock in this catalogue. It is enough,
however. for you to compare prices
with all other competition"
1nsistence is made on the cash fea-
ture. and to it Mr.. Thompson, the
senior member Of the firm. attributes
his success.
There is no reason why retail mer-
chants should not adopt this method
In other cities and villages not only
in the hardware line. but in all others.
1t would require work, but what bust
ness a expects to succeed in this
age without work? 1t entails expense,
but SO does any sort of advertising.
The only question is, Will it pay for
itself? The mail order houses find
that it pays and pays big. Such small
retail merchants as have tried it have
come to the same conclusion. In this
light it can be regarded like any other
advertising, as an Investment that
brings in more than the original ex-
penditure.
Lie advantages Oh Ine catalogue are
obvious. 1t is a convenience to the
housewife and will for this reason
usually be preserved. 1t creates de-
mand. as does any advertising that is
worth while. 1t can be consulted by
the family at the fireside, and as
prices are given it simplifies shopping
and enables the customer to figure in
advance as to his outlay. 1t brings in
trade. 1t familiarizes the public with
the firms name. 1t can be mailed to
all possible customers in any radius
selected. 1t may even result in mail
orders or in orders sent by one farmer
with another. 1t cuts off the orders
Of the distant houses. for the reason
that any purchaser. other things being
equal, would rather trade at home
than abroad. For one thing, he can
Inspect goods: for another, deliveries
are quicker; for a third. he Keeps the