The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1911-09-14

the design, the thought that this plan
would prove to be a regular Trust
buster.
Now / think / can sum up my
proposition by asking: What is the
secret for the undoubted success Of
the mail house?
The answer is: organization.
The supplies for these business
houses are drawn from far and near,
and owing to quantity, the required
articles are purchased at minimum
cost; while small profits insure large
sales. Ct shall have something to
say relative to mail-order profits at
future time).
From that fact, therefore, compe-
tition by the local merchant is not
competition. but a most strenuous
struggle'merely to exist and between
the mail-order house and the wholesa-
Ter, the retailer isasthe grist between
the mill-stones." Naturally. what
comes to the outside retailer is simply
the rejected or over-stock portion not
taken up by the city retail shop; and
because you, Mr.. Local Merchant,
are unableto carry like proportion
of goods in stock, generally you are
forced to accept the left over stuff.
Of course you are not satisfied, but
how many times have journeyed
to the larger city's wholesale houses,
only to meet with keen disappoint-
ment when you come to examine the
displays from which you hoped to
select a choice stock for your hust-
ling little mercantile house back
home? Orders through drum
mers'' are not to be considered here).
Now we know that a mail order
house wanting stoves, will send its
buyer to Kalamazoo, or it's furniture
man to Grand Rapids. or its crock
cry selector to Pittsburg, and other
specialists to the different producing
points.
Do we assume that those buyers
are experts in their line, that they
know the class of stoves, furniture,
ETC., that are most in demand by the
trade which their houses reach?
Well, we will just suppose so, for
this time.
OF course such houses buy more
or less odds and ends" called Job
lots;'' but these are purchased for the
reason that in the sales they may be
sold at knock-down" prices,
because of their value as trade slim
ulants. So we see the motive back
of this near par cost purchase, and
penny profit sales, don't we?
On the other hand, the wholesale
house is partnership of three or
four individuals, one of whom knows
something about stoves, but more
nearly, one who understands human
nature and is a good bargainer COM
ing and going. He buys in the mar
kets goods that are in demand
through his trade, or that have be-
come established in the sales of his
house. Seldom is he, like the spec
cialist from the mail-order house, a
creator of new lines of trade goods,
because Of that hard and fast rule of
buying for established demand which
has become recognized in his bust
ness.
Thus we see wholesale grocers,
wholesale dry goods houses, whole
saleA this, and that; but on the, other
hand we see a mail-order house that
is both wholesale and retail, and
combines dealing in sales of pack
ages of pins fguratively speaking, to
sales Of bread and cheese
If it is true that Sears, Rcebuck &
Co. has developed to one Of, if not
the foremost house of its kind in the
country, and if Stone, Ordean Wells
& Co.'S. mammoth wholesale house
began business in, as it were, two
by-four structure, what is there to
prevent consolidation of these di-
vided forces coming into existence
by and for those who directly bene-
fit the producer. and may, therefore,
be reckoned the foremost commune
.ty upbuilders; ! e, the local mer-
chants?
Here we have as nearly an exact
duplicate of power, resouce, profit
of great body of smaller merchants