The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1914-10-30
TRADE MARK" MEANS
MUCH TO CONSUMER
Local Dealers Handle Only MerChan-
disc of Proven Merit
Business Suicide for Them to Garry the
Cheaper but Inferior Lines
BY David Powell.

used every effort to make his product
superior to similar products on the
market. That he believes he has done
so is evidenced by the guarantee he
gives that all articles so labeled are
warranted to give satisfaction. All
manufacturers of trade mark goods
authorize the dealers selling them to
invariably refund the full purchase price
OF any article that proves unsatisfactory
to the buyer.
This feature is of real dollars and cents
value to the consumer, because this re-
fund can always be easily and quickly
secured by the dissatisfied buyer while
he is in the frame Of mind to demand
it, at no expense whatever and very
little trouble.
Only a very few trade mark goods
are sold by catalog houses, and the
reason for it is very apparent. A
glance through their catalogs will show
that such as they do have listed are
priced Just as high, transportation
charges being taken into consideration,
as in the average up-to-date small town
department store. AS price is invar-
ably their strong selling argument,
they have quoted in their catalog, sub
stitutes of their own, which, on account
of inferior quality and workmanship,
they are able to sell considerably cheap
er than either they, or the local dealer,
could sell the article Of standard make.
The success of the mail houses
Of the country has been built upon the
fundamental principle Of selling cheap
goods at cheap prices.
A case in mind that recently came
under the observation of the writer
quite clearly establishes this fact:
Waterloo is manufacturing town of
some $4,000 people situated in north
eastern Iowa. A firm Of that town
manufactured a popular line of cream
separators which had quite sale thru
out Iowa and adjoining states. A Chi
cago mail-order house conceived the
idea of handling cream separators in
their business, and accordingly offered
to take this firms entire output for a
year. The terms were liberal and the
offer was accepted.
The ink on the contract was hardly
dry before the mail-order house sent an
expert to Waterloo to cheaper the cost
of production. He demanded less ex-
pensive material here, and less care in
workmanship there until the manufac-
turers declared in high wrath that the
house might put out such cheap and
shoddy separators if it liked, but their
name and brand should never 60 on
them.
This is fair sample of the factory
methods employed by catalog houses.
They talk much about cheapening pro-
duction. Well, they do cheaper it
by using shoddy materials and doing
slovenly work. The result is an infer
ior class of goods, which, even though
looking as we'll as similar lines of stand
ard make which your home merchant
sells. will not wear nor hold its pleas
ing appearance half SO long.
The service given by the local deal
er is a very important part of the value
received in the purchase OF all lines OF
supplies, but is very generally little
appreciated by the prospective buyer.
This is especially valuable to the buyer
Of farm machinery Of every class. Con-
slider the saving in time and money,
as we'll as the convenience OF having al
ways within reach, without any expense
whatever, an expert ready at all times
to remedy any defects that may appear
and always willing to do everything he
can to help the buyer keep his ma
chinery in first-class condition and run
ming order. On the other hand If a
farmer has been tempted by the appar-
emily low prices quoted, and bought
machinery Of any kind through a cata-
log house, he will generally find upon
receiving it that it is Of an obsolete
pattern and one that, even found to
give reasonable service, would prob
ably be discarded as the result OF the
first accident, no matter how trifilng,
on account Of the aggravating delays