The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-12-09
A TOWNS ENEMY
It Is the Mail Order Business.
Ways to Combat It.
TWO REMEDIES AT HAND.

Either the Organization OF Country
Merchants and Manufacturers to
Fight the Evil or Proof by Compare
son That Value 10 oivsn.
There are two ways for the country
merchant successfully to compete with
the mail order houses. One Is by COM
bination with large number Of other
country merchants and manufacturers
in establishing a plant similar to the
mail order concern, except that all
sales are made through the local
tradesmen. This has been tried sue
cessfully by a number of western bust
ness men.
If local merchant Is not disposed to
go into such combination, however,
he will find 1t possible to compete with
the mail order house individually. One
plan is to order several Of the leading
articles on which the mail concern
completes with him and by showing
these to customers that he thinks are
buying of the foreign house demon
strate to them that he can sell goods
equally as good for the same or even n
less price. AS matter Of fact, he has
most of the advantages on his side
the columns Of the local papers for ad-
vertising, personal acquaintance In
most cases with his customers, local
pride and the fact that dollar spent
with him stays at home and thus helps
the community. All these are powerful
helps, but more powerful still Is the
fact that he can show his goods before
selling, while the mail order house can
only show it's catalogue descriptions.
The truth is that the method Of ad-
vertising employed by the mail order
house is most expensive one. The
catalogues are profusely illustrated.
and these cuts cost money. The mere
preparation of the matter and printing
are no small items. When to these
are added binding, procuring Of lists Of
names, which must be constantly cor.
rected to cover deaths and removals.
mailing and other necessary work, the
cost Is seen to be something enormous.
The postage bill alone on single ship
ment Of these catalogues mounts into
the thousands. All this great expense
Of advertising must, of course, be paid
by the customer. In comparison the
country merchants ads. in his local
paper are inexpensive.
The mail order house makes its ap-
peal on price. Yet it has been proved
over and over again that article for
article the home tradesman can match
these prices II he desires to Sell goods
Of as inferior quality or can actual
ly undersell the foreign concern. I
have before me reports of two specific
cases. One is that of Mr.. A. S. Atkin-
son, a merchant Of Cherryvale, Kan,
who is interviewed In the Agricultural
Southwest. Mr.. Atkinson says:
THE catalogue houses are n great
competitor today in the mercantile life
Of the country, but do not worry SO
much about them as do some mer-
chants, knowing that I can sell ms
cheaply as the mail order house. For
example. one mail order house uses
the same goods as do In suit. They
sell their garment for $3.50 as against
$7.4S for ours. feel no hesitation In
saying that can compete successfully
with retail catalogue firms"
The other case Is reported by the
Cleveland Trade Bulletin and concerns
shoes. The name and location Of the
individual merchant are not given, but
these do not matter, as the facts can
be verified by any one who desires to
do so. The instance cited Is as fol-
lows:
"a shoe retailer was recently shown
an illustration of a shoe sold by a
mail order house for SLIGO. This shoe
had rubber goring over the instep.
was heavy soled kid with patent
leather tip. The description under the
illustration was so constructed that 1t
would lead the reader to believe that
the shoe was the exact counterpart of
those selling in retail stores Mt SO.
This retailer became interested and
ordered pair to satisfy his curiosity.
When the shoe arrived at his store 1t
was found to be about the average
$1.10 stock in the uppers. while the
soles, counters and insole were the
very cheapest materials; in fact, this
same retailer was showing a plain
shoe without gingerbread" which
would have given the wearer a great
deal more satisfaction than the one
sold by the mail order house for S1.50.
"In the retail shoe business at least
there is little fear of any great COM
petition from mail order houses. A
mail order house carries shoes in a
few widths only, and there is a great
disadvantage in fitting shoes hundreds
Of miles away"
The same is true Of other lines Of
goods. A long distance ft on suit Of
clothes Is as unsatisfactory as on n
pair Of shoes. The local merchant has
practically all of the argument on his
side except the mere question OF price.
Let him convince his customers that
he can sell as cheaply as the catalogue
house, quality for quality. and his bat
tie Is won. The two instances cited
show how this may be done.
The day is past when any sort Of
merchandising will win. The slipshod.
AoIf aeIoon xx,auo ~ sxoparo tto,. -