The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-05-01

ter vet IL is q standing PROOF 10 the
public how often the store is cleaned
or window displays changed. The pub
lie is critical, yet 1t is just as willing
TO give a constructive criticism if
| chance permits. DO not be reluctant
about granting some favor asked by a
customer. Study the needs of your
customers. Find out whether they are
| satisfied with your methods and goods.
Aim TO please them. The people like
TO be shown consideration but they
hate 10 be neglected. A farmer during
an afternoon in the busy harvest sea-
son discovered that the pitman on his
harvester was cracked and liable to
break completely at any time. He i'm
mediately phoned TO the local nipple.
ment dealer and asked him to take a
pitman 70 a grocery store across the
street. where a neighbor would call
for it. The neighbor returned home
quite late that evening without any
piuman. The farmer called up the
implement dealer, and after hesitating
the latter said he had forgotten it,.
The farmer sent a team to town next
morning and started his harvester in
the field. However, about fifteen min
u,e- after starting the old pitman
broke and the machine was forced to
be idle over two hours, when time was
money TO the farmer. The ]incOnsider.
ate fOrgetfulness of the dealer cost
the farmer a hurried trip to town and
the delay of over two hours, when a
small accommodation would have pre-.
vented everything. 1t is significant to
note that the same dealer sold out the
following year because, as he said,
There is no money in the business"
Yet he was the only implement dealer
in n of the largest towns in a rich
and prosperous county.
Cash customers are the hardest TO
please because they can get service
and quality almost any time. They
are the ones that are able TO deal
with mail order houses because they
can pay cash and can buy in large
quantities. However, they are the
very customers that the retail mer-
chant should endeavor to retain. They
are the ones that make money for
with whomeyer they deal. 1t is easy
to retain the average credit customer,
Remarks were often made how a GER
tam WORCESTERSHIRE retail "ultICldul t.
tanned certain permanent customers.
Upon his death, however, it was found
that two families alone owed him over
three thousand dollars.
The parcel post could be used to
good advantage by retail merchants.
It could be used in filling emergency
orders of rural customers. If a Gus
toner wants some article which the
local dealer does not handle or has
on hand, the dealer could order it and
have it sent directly to the customer
by parcels post thus avoiding delay.
This should be Of particular advantage
in ordering machine repairs for the
farmer. Again the local dealer could
use it to replenish his stock in certain
small articles for which there is an un-
usual demand. On the other hand, a
great many mail order house orders
are too large to be sent by mail. If
the parcels post is to prove to be a
valuable asset to the mail order house,
it should prove to be doubly valuable
to the retail
If a great many retailers would
spend as much time in attempting to
build up their business as they spend
in preaching home trade, they wouldn't
need to worry so much about results.
How much weight is there to the argu-
ment: at is your duty to p~atronize
home trade?" Every individual is liv-
ing in the way in which he a get
the most out of life, and he is going
to spend his money where he thinks he
can get the best values and service.
UIInnon Divide orOInonnt nonnnt
be applied where the question of dol
lars and cents enters into considera-
tion. A grocer who was continually
'home trade" was found to be
sending away for his furniture. An
other merchant was found to be buy
ing his stationery from an outside
firm.
The retail merchants do not COM
pete with mail order houses in adver-
The average retail merchant
buys some space in his local papers,
throws together some text and per-
haps q few cuts and thinks that he
has an advertisement. The ad is hard
to read; it lacks force; it is unattrac.
tive; and it makes no business PROPOSE
ton. At the same time that people
are reading his ad, they are reading
the ad Of some mail order house-an
ad which is ~attractively written; an
ad which makes an appeal to the peo-
pie; an ad behind which has force and
business sticking out all over it. Which
ad will human nature consider?
The retail merchant must learn to
advertise in a scientific manner; he
must quote attractive prices; he
skillfully use cuts and offer induce
ments to compete with mail order cat
alogs; he must advertise goods which
he can guarantee and then back up his
goods. This Is one Of the best features
of the mail order house. A farmer
bought a guaranteed $50 buggy from a
local dealer. The paint came off the
wheels and the top proved defective.
1t took four months before even an
unsatisfactory settlement was con-
cluded. The same farmer later bought
a $35 cutter from a mail order house.
The paint proved to be a trifie green
and the farmer thought he didn't get
value received, and asked for a $40
refund. In less than a week the mail
brought a check for $40 with a very
satisfactory letter. In another letter
asking If everything was satisfactory,
and IL not to state complaints and an
a a rIxy caft1omapf unir1d hn offompfa1