The Cairo bulletin., 1912-09-22
Fignre Il Ont.

Dld you ever IFy W lSuic ult tAoN
much mail order house has to pay
for a single advertisement in mail
order magazine having circulation
of a half million copies monthly?
If You can figure that problem, you
ought to be able to answer this ques-
ton.
How much money do all OF the
mail order houses spend each year
for advertising space in the hum
dreds OF magazines, issued weekly,
semi-weekly aud monthly?
Would you place it at a million dol
lars? That would be a smaH figure.
Fhe big argument of the mail order
house IL volume 1--WE can afford to
undersell the merchant in your town
because OF the fact that we buy in
such large quantities and therefore
get cheaper prices" is statement
widely advertised by the mail order
houses.
II Is Just the difference between
what the mail order house and the
local merchant pays for goods that
pays the advertising bills,
when you spend fifty cents for a
shirt, whether you buy it at home or
through the mails, YOU get shirt
that can be manufactured and sold
at a profit for fifty cents, Regard
less OF the source, the quality will
be the same, with chance Of obtain
ing better quality from the home
merchant
When you spend sixty cents for a
dozen mail order collars, you get
collars that can be made and sold al
a profit for THAI price.
If You have only s. to spend for q
mail order suit, you get suit that
the local merchant could afford to
sell at the price at a profit.
II makes no difference what you
pay for your goods, because You gel
Just exactly what you pay for Thar
is one OF the reasons why the mai
order houses declare dividends rang
ing from 33 l-S to 100 per cent. an
nually.
The local merchant is not a COM
petitof of the mail order house when
ii comes to buying stock The local
merchant must lave new. np-to-date
stock OF unquestionable quality
while tine mail order house must have
stock that can be bought at cheap
figure. AS the result of the re
spectiye requirements of the local
merchant and the mail order house,
there are two distinct classes OF
goods manufactured One class T.
manufactured to be sold by the local
merchant over the counter, while
the other is made to be sold through
the mail, sight unseen" by the mali
order house.
There are some mail order house,
thar make a speciality of selling bank
r,lpt stocks clothing of ancient
vintage and household articles held
together only by the dust and ages
However. nothing is said in the adj.
vertisements about the source of the
stock. II IL sold as brand new
warranted to give satisfaction o.
money returned, maybe, with the EN-
phasis on the maybe part of it.
The local merchant cannot afrort
to handle shoddy stock. In the frs
place ne would not be able to sci
IL and If he did. he'd lost custome
with every sale.
The mall order house will do 70
the man who does not care whethe
his clothing is IN fashion or, his fur
niture up-to-date, but ii will neve
do for the particular man. Particn
lar people are never stung more thai
once
There are two reasons why 70,
should spend your money in Cairo
In the first place. you do not get you
moneys worth when you buy throu Ell
the mail order house. The secon,
reason is that the local merchant i
entitled to your patronage.
The retail merchant is the life o
Cairo. Without him, the city coul
hardly exist. He pays taxes an,
wages and invests his profits in th
ci's. The msil order house does no
spend a single dollar in the city, an
80 long as II can squeeze profits on
N Of the citizens II does not care wha
happens to the city.
1880 -