Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-08-23
Persistent Advertising Is the Secret Of
the Remarkable Success Of the Mail
Order Houses.


house by which they command rura
trade. have been seized by the merchants
to keep the money Of the countryside Al
home. The rural free delivery mail routes
are now being burdened with the liter
allure of nearby mercantile firms. which
clash effectively with gaudy pamphlet
outputs of the big city plants"
Intensive retailing Is one of the
names coined to describe the new system
In results 1t is claimed that it will
beat intensive farming. Certainly the
field is as yet new, and II the inventors
have read the american housewife rightly
the reaping will be abundant.
Pretty Pictures His Downfall
J. B. Sellers is proprietor of the Bee
hive department store in Jokopolis, Iowa
Far from being q beehive his establish
ment has more resembled deserted
grotto or a. cave: Of. the Winds, Mail
business; His former customers have
been assailed by booklets snlled with pref
ty pictures. tempting price figures. and
selling arguments. which are as the song
of the Lorelei against his own circulars.
crudely printed and crudely composed.
The building of the iqterurban trolley
helped him some, enabling farmers
wives to get into town and in reach Of
his attractive displays Of, real goods. y
But the thrall Of the pretty pictures Ia
over Them Also the idea Of getting their
garments direct from the big city. In
turn the wholesaler of the metropolis
feels the decline Of sales in the Beehive.
This is the natural effect, which pinches
early, but now the wholesaler, like q
husky big brother, comes to the rescue
of Mr.. Sellers. and by the same blow re-
suscitates his own total Of profits.
| The wholesaler. with money at his
command and in close touch with the
heart Of things. is in position to buy
!, talent and brains. This he does, and
Boon the machinery which is to accom-
plish the checking Of mail order COM
petitors is in motion.
| A procession Of catalogues, posters. or
der blanks, Typewriter" letters. and
| follow up communications begins to
flow towards the clients of Mr.. Sellers in
Jokopolis, every one Of his former GUS
| toners. as we'll as prospective ones. re-
ceive a brand new consignment. of mer-
chandizing literature" more attractive,
II possible, than any that has come before
At first the curious housewife Is under
the impression that another big mail
order firm has obtained her name for
its list.
Imagine her amazement when she OBJ
av,k S,n ~ tHnA
ored catalogue. right under the Newport
girl and her bunch Of orchids, is the
insignia Of the Beehive department store,
Jokopolis. She is startled again when
she receives a typewriter letter ad-
dressed in her own name. inviting her
Ito examine the stock of Chicago made
garments now on display at the Bee
hive. 1t is all personal and the word
you is underlined.
Perhaps she puts off her visit to the
Beehive through press of household dut-
les With a jolt she is reminded Of
her duty to herself and to the fashion,
able ensemble Of the community, with
second typewriter missive. which ex-
presses deepest disappointment that she
has not called, and urges her, above all
things, to be sure and pay a visit at
the earliest possible moment. Before she
has time to pin on her hat another en-
volpe arrives containing picture" sam
pies of fall suitings obtainable at the
Beehive. On her way to town on the car
she picks up a newspaper and there not.
ices the advertisement Of the Beehive.
But it differs from the usual dull an.
nouncement in thick. inky type. An at
tractive girl picture takes up most of
the space, and the announcement is
couched in skillful city department store
English.
Time Ripe for Action.
And that Is the way Mr.. Sellers sue
ceeds in stirring up trade among the
strongest adherents to mail order goods
in his district. The catalogs and circulars |
he secures in big shipments from his
wholesalers. Before these are sent from
headquarters the address of the Beehive
is printed on every one Of them. Adver-
Using cuts for newspapers and even Ian
tern slides for moving picture theaters
are supplied by the big brother in the
city.
1T is high time that such action was
taken in behalf Of the country merchant"
said a Chicago sales manager THAT the
mail order houses have sabred the BUSH
ness of the local merchant right and left
can be shown by figures. Last year
1900 general stores went out Of business
In the small towns Of America in addition
|, 1000 establishments doing a strictly dry
goods business. This is not keynote of
business depression. Far from it. I'll
Is merely a statistical tribute to the sales
Of the mail order houses. prov
Ing that the printed word is stronger
than the spoken word and that it's BUSH
ness grasp is infinitely stronger and
onger.''