The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-02-20
BY / l. TOTEM.

BY l. L. TOTTEN.
The advent of the Parcel Post has
caused considerable comment on the
mail order house business, and many
merchants in the small towns seem to
think that their business will be great
ly damaged.
Perhaps it will; yet l believe that
the country town merchant who VIII
take advantage of the opportunities
for him in our new postal system, Will
find in it a means to hold, and even to
improve his business.
| cannot think that the farmers OF
this country have any such thing in
mind as that of wrecking the business
of the home merchants; but / do think
that the farmers are ever anxious to
get value received for their hard earn
ed dollars; and to this end, they are
going to spend their money where the
returns are greatest.
In calculating returns, however, SER
vice must be taken into consideration.
The initial cost of anything does not
always indicate the actual cost.
If / employ man to do job of
work for me at 81 day, and 1t takes
him two days to do the job, he is not
cheaper man to employ than the
| $500 a day man who does the work in
one day. In fact, the $500 day man
is cheaper from a standpoint of ex-
petition
| Because of the home merchant
proximity to the farms, and because
of tho to1opbopa coryioa Of tho die
posal of both himself and the farmer,
he holds strategic position over the
mail order house. In the common par
lance: he is right on the ground floor
And with the Parcels Post now at his
command, he can place goods in the
farmers hands before the order to the
mail order house can possibly reach
it's destination.
May Inspect Goods.
The home merchant has a better OPP
Fportunity Of ascertaining the immed
late needs of the people in his com
munity; he provides a place close al
home where the goods themselves may
be seen and Inspected; he has the
opportunity of presenting his sales
arguments in person, in fact, the home
merchant has such a decided advan
tage over the mail order house that he
has little room to complain.
l. Why is it that farmers patrcnize the
mail order houses SO largely?
In answering this question for me
the farmers say that they can blu!
cheaper of the mail order house thar
they can of the home merchant. This
of course, is true in some places, blu
not in all. l know of stores in countr,
towns that will supply goods for jus
what they can be bought Of the mai
order houses, plus freight, etc.
No one can blame farmer for buy
ing where prices are lowest, all thing
considered; but he does not Away
buy for the least of mail order house
1t is a fact, of course, that the mer
chants in some small towns charge to,
high prices. and the way some mer
chants conduct their business, the.
are compelled to exact a large prof
to make up for the leaks due to mis-
management.
In many places the opinion Is ger
eral that the merchant who does
credit business exacts a large enougl
profit from those who pay cash t
make up for the dead beats. This i
; not the case in all instances, but tn
opinion prevails, nevertheless. =
Credit System Lax.
; I have summed up the home mel
chant situation in this way: In mos
instances the credit system is too la1
Not enough advertising is done t
keep the people in the immediat
vicinity posted on local prices and O
, goods for selection.
The buying is not properly handled
, The merchant does not realize hi
own personal responsibility to tn