Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-06-09


i a symposium Of prize articles on tn
] subject. Since that time condition
I have changed, but the change hs
not been for the better SO far as tn
J retail dealer is concerned. On tn
CONTRARY, mail-order competition
stronger today than ever before, an
the problem Of how it is to be me
is one that confronts the merchant
LOT every community.
Brains believes in the efficacy O
advertising, and were any argumen
needed to prove that advertiser,
pays, the growth Of mail-ordel
houses would be allLthe evidenc,
needed.
But brains does not believe in the
kind Of advertising that most mail.
order houses resort to. We do moi
mean the mediums employed, but
the methods that are used to per.
Esuade people 10 part with their money
in exchange for goods that are sell
dom worth the price charged.
| Part truths are often more decep-
tive than whole lies, and the descrip-
ttons given of goods usually sold
through the mails are of the part
truth type that mislead many people.
II all the truth were to be told in
the advertisements Of mail-order
houses, local merchants would have
no problem to solve SO far as this
kind Of competition is concerned.
People would then know before
they parted with their money what
they frequently find out after their
purchases are received.
And it seems to Brains that the
solution of ':How Merchants Must
Meet Mail-order Competition" lies
exactly here.
Tell the truth about the business,
and tell it-in such way that the
people will believe what you say.
To simply find fault because part
of your trade is being taken away is
only to convince mail-order custom
ers that they are in reality getting
They must be shown in plain fig
ures that they are paying more for
the kind of goods they receive than
you charge for goods Of equal quality
Or better. I
They must also be shown the ad-
antages of buying at home. and this
point can be illustrated in many ways
BY concrete examples of local exper-
ences.
Every merchant should have az
complete a, Get Of mail-order cata-
ogues as he can secure, and he should 8
tudy them carefully. He will soon (
discover that some articles he car
les in stock are being sold by him
or less than the catalogue prices n
'lus transportation and correspon- t
ence charges. 1t
It would be an argument that p
Tould carry weight IL merchant
Tere to display in his window a good Il
took of some one seasonable article Il
nd then advertise in the newspapers Il
nst what the mailorder houses are fl
skiing for the same article-with e,
ecessary additional charges added
such way that they would at u
'act attention. Then print his own 1t
rice and the actual cost to the Of
ian or woman who pays the h
eight" Of the catalogue goods. e1
1t is notorious fact that a large IL
art Of the stuff sold by mail consists I'll
seconds" that responsible mer- m
rants reject. til
Tell the truth about this and you th
i'll make some mail-order bargain "a
lnters stop and think. az
It will frequently be found that m
cal merchants are charging no more de
r first-quality goods than people are tn
Iying for seconds that maiI-or- th
n men have nisrepresented in their IS
IvertisIhg matter.
Every one likes to see what they at
e paying for before they part with kn
leir money, and only the 1urid 70
,rd pictures painted by mail-order mi
writers with vivid Imaginations Co
er persuade people to buy a pig go
a poke" for that is exactly what Iy
lil-order buying amounts to.
Sensible shoppers are sure to be fri
IL they can be shown that III
" are not saving anything by send fri
! their money out of town, and a am
sat many would even be willing It's
pay a trifle more to their home bal
reliant we're they satisfied that mo
at the merchant says about quality oui
correct.