Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1913-03-14
The Country Dealer

wi SN'NiH ytoiS We uuNc Huu
dinned into our ears doleful tales of
woe of what was to happen to the
country dealer when the parcel post
juggernaut arrived. An analysis of
this sentiment, which was and is yet
honestly entertained by thousands of
small country merchants, is interest
ing. The suspicion is not wholly
wanting that the express companies
had very early knowledge of this
impending doom; Il large number of
the trade papers. of which there are
hundreds, with surprising unanim-
ity became obsessed with the idea
that IA parcel post meant the end of
the country dealer, with the easy
conclusion, mo country dealer, little
need for the trade paper" Hence,
for years the trade paper has ear
ried its weekly message of death TO
parcel post, and little wonder that
the dealer became infected.
The main line story was that par
eel post was the dream of that arch
enemy of the country merchant, the
mail order house. This statement
became an accepted fact, not even
worthy of discussion. Now, the par
eel post system will doubtless be OF
some advantage TO the big mail order
houses, but nothing ike what we have
been told. The articles which they
sell, practical TO send by mail, are
not 50 many after all. What the
mail order houses make their money
un are not sales under one dollar
but over ten. 1t costs them practi-
cally as much To put dollar order
through the house as il does one of
twenty-five dollars. And if their en-.
tire business were in single shipments
of dollar articles, they wouldn't make
much money. The low priced arli-
rlrS of common use, of which there
are hundreds are sold nearly a,
rhcaply at the corner store. For in
stance, II man wants II 5-gallon can
which his home dealer sells for $l.9O.
The mail order house sells the same
identical can for % cents. But bv
the time the customer buys money
order and pays for parcel postage ii
has cost HIM Sl.l5. II the buyer is
ordering bill of goods. that's an
other matter but the shipment then
goes by freight, not parcel post.
Another angle which does not seem
Ia be- taken into account, but which
very soon will be-, is the advantage
Of the parcel system to the small
country dealer. \ customer comes
~ To order, say, an unusual size Of
screwdriver. Dealer is out: in fact,
The last call for one was year ava.
therefore he cannot afford To stock
up. lie explains Ia the customer and
says he can have one in two DAYS.
Very good lie spends one cent ON
postal card ordering from his Job
Der in the city, who mails il 300 miles
for : cents. II has cost the mer-
chant - cents for the tool and s
cents postage, total 20 cents, and il
retails for 30 cents, with a net profit
of 10 cents or fifty per cent, Under
the old regime the express charges
would have absorbed all the profit,
az more.
NEW BUSINESS
\ new business, or rather the de
vcI"pment and expansion of an old
one, which will come with parcel
post, j. the manufacture and sale of
cartoons, or pasteboard containers
Tor mailing all sorts of things.
In Great Britain the parcel post
is very profitable to the Government.
a large volume of business being done
IN local city delivery. Many of the
smaller shops use it exclusively for
delivery. AS, for instance, box of
cigars bought at p. m. on the
Strand will be delivered at 4 To
=. m. eight miles distant for about
three cents of our money. We have
nothing to compare with this at pres
"nt. but in due time doubtless will.
In the larger cities the parcels are
not delivered by the letter carrier.
but by men with pushcaris.-H. II.
Windsor in the March Popular Me