Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-10-12
Big Wholesalers Help Him XIII
Mail Order Game.
Give HIM LITERATURE"
With Which He Bombards tho Women
Folks and Shows Them the Foolish
ness of Spending Time and Fare to
Shop In the City.

NA1S ~
meeting brisk competition from the
home tradesman, and with mail order
methods at that, says James Kells in
the Chicago Tribune.
Just as. the Japanese lowered the
pride of Russia by using the white
mans implements of warfare, so the
small town storekeeper, who has felt
himself downtrodden by the postal
magnates of the big centers. has
adopted the usages Of his enemy and is
beginning to "cut in"
Catalogues, paris fashion posters.
follow up" letters and price lists, al!
the pet weapons of the big mail order
houses by which they command rural
trade, have been seized by merchants
to keep the money of the countryside
at home. The rural free delivery mail
routes are now being burdened with
the literature 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 sys-
TEN. In results it is claimed that it
will beat intensive farming. Certainly
the field is as yet raw, and if the in
ventors have read the American house
wife rightly the reaping will be abun-
dant.
For example. we'll say that ]. B.
Sellers is proprietor Of the Beehive
department store in Jokopolis, Ia. Far
from being a beehive, his establish
ment has more resembled a deserted
grotto or a cav Of the winds. Mail
order competition has cut heavily into
his business. His. former customers
have been assailed by booklets filed
with pretty pictures, tempting price
figures and selling arguments" which
are as the song Of the Lorelei against
his W circulars, crudely printed and
crudely composed.
The building of the interurban trolley
helped him some, enabling farmers
wives to get into town and within
reach Of his attractive displays of
real goods" But the thrall Of the
pretty pictures is over them; also
the idea Of getting their garments
direct from the big city. In turn the
wholesaler in the metropolis feels the
decline Of sales in the Beehive. This
is the natural effect, which pinches
early. But now the wholesaler. like
rescue Of Mr.. Sellers and by the same
blow resuscitates his own total of
profits.
The wholesaler, with money at his
command and in close touch with the
heart of things, is in a position to buy
talent and brains. This he does, and
soon the machinery which is to ac-
competitors is in motion.
A procession of catalogues posters,
order blanks. "typewritten" letters
and follow up" communications be-
gins to flow toward the clientele of
Mr.. Sellers in Jokopolis. Every one
of his former customers, as well as
prospective ones, receives a brand new
consignment of merchandising "litera-
ture."
This literature is even more attrac-
tive 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
it's list.
Imagine her amazement when she
observes that IN the first page Of the
colored catalogue, right under the New
port girl and her bunch Of orchids, are
the insignia of the Beehive department
store, %Jokopolis. She is startled again
when she receives a typewriter letter.
addressed in her own name, inviting
her to examine the stock Of Chicago
made garments now on display at the
Beehive. 1t is all personal, and the
word you is underlined.
Perhaps she puts off her visit to the
Beehive through press of household
duties. With a jolt she is reminded Of
her duty to herself and to the fashion
able ensemble Of the community by a
second typewriter missive, which ex-
presses deepest disappointment that
she has not called and urges her, above
all things, to be SUR to pay her visit
at the earliest possible moment. Be-
Lore Su6 udS Ll1uc W llu vi uSl udC LII
other envelope arrives containing epic
ture samples Of fall suitings obtain
able at the Beehive. On her way to
town on the car she picks up a news
paper and there notices a Beehive adj
vertisement. But it differs from the
usual dull announcement in thick, inky
type. An attractive ''girl' picture
takes up most of the space, and the
announcement is couched in skillful,
city department store English.
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 catalogues
and circulars he secures in big ship
ments from his wholesalers. Before
these are sent from headquarters the
address of the Beehive is printed on
every one Of them. Advertising 'cuts'
for newspapers and eve lantern slides
for moving picture theaters are sup.
piled by the "big brother in the city.