The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-11-09
MAIL ORDER HOUSES AND
THE PARCEL POST

(From the Villlsca Iowa, Letter)
The past few weeks the big cata.
logue houses have been dumping tons
OF catalogues in southwest Iowa and
other states, ten mail sacks full hav-
ing arrived in one town nearby. while
Atlantic has been flooded. Now these
houses have to take this method of
advertising because they cannot gain
ADMISSION to the local papers. thew
would gladly pay higher than the
regular rate to get in the local pap.
err and there are few papers In this
section but have turned down such
orders for space in order to protect
the home merchant and save the home
town and market and often timea the
contract he turns down is more vain.
able than the one one he gets from
nome. These houses are not In bust
ness for philanthropy, for one of
tnem did In one year a business of
$3S'OOO,OO0 and declared a dividend
OF $13.O00,000. They have no cheap.
er goods than the home merchant.
value or quality being taken into con.
slderatfon. But here is where they
make the idea that they do. They
print a picture, say of a suit of cloth.
es' and print a price. $3.50, add a note,
rhe same as you pay your dealer
SIG for" or a heating stove, a beautv
W ire picture. the nickle trimmings
sNowtng so plainly and the children
sitting around the comfortable fire.
At S9-why paw s1S to your dealer?"
land by the way saw a farmer bring
one OF those stoves back to Muscatine
and ask the local dealer how much
he would allow him to swap on a
CORD one. The graphite putty had
dropped ont and all the carefully
covered joints. seams and bolts were
hare; in a few weeks its was value
loss.
The hnver is not mad at the local
merchant End does not send his mon
eV away for spite. Tie simply thints
he i" getting bargain.
N0v- TO 1ooal --oroLort hoe ro,n,.
ADVANTAGES over the catalogue house.
I'o ie no"r 70 ire trade and ven can
go IN and examine his goods and get
bic r~i"0~ ard Wv on~ tote ~. cord g..
home with you instead Of taking the
trouble ~ "rder 7rd v'oi4 co.., ,vool,s.
1t is only in your IGNORANCE ~ valves
/ that Won are so often deceived For
tns'"""o. GOOD ladv friend admired
a rig ut our home which was a splen-
did ore ut s27. She told mo tNat she
had ordered by catalogue and got
one FIVE ours for S12.Kn and fre'oht.
Well. when looked at that rug I saw
al orce that she was simplv deceiy-
ed. as several local merchants had
the identical rug on sale at s12 regu-
lar price. I could cite examples ad
infinitrm But thora is ar~tNa~ NOT
ter a"d that is the parcel post. which
new low oons into effact Tan~arv 1.
whe~ehv nactaoe NAV he cent for
81 cents weighing II nourds. The
mail order houses are expecting a
harvest fron this as thev r'a~e tNe
chi"f r~eho~s for tho h'r Az our
rural merchants will then be obliged
to change in some Instances the
character of their ADVERTISING and to
do more Of u. "Iohnson's 10 the "Neap-
est rlece 70 buy drv goods" will not
be w~-th the cost Of the inv It g
printed witch. Prices ord rargains
viii then hn the order " Smith has
calico no will tell Won Row much a
yard. rn'r~m cents q bov will eind
martet while "TaIcrr az tight
pr'cn~" WON'T maize s~'e
lerchant that rars'stent-