The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-02-01
The Mail Order Business
And the Parcel Post.

The Merchants Trade Journal a ma
| tional magazine for retail merchants
| published at Des Moines, Iowa, con-
| tains the following regarding the
! growth of the mail order business
| and particularly since the parcel post
was established:
During the last four or five years
| when the subject of parcel post has
been discussed and debated pro and
| con. the statement has often been
made that the mail order houses OF
| the country were not IN favor OF the
| parcel post. However, it should be
| stated that no evidence to that effect
| was ever produced, but now after the
| parcel post has been in operation
| nearly a year. it is interesting to note
| the increase of the business of the
great mail order concerns of the
country.
OF course, at this writing the annual
reports are not in, but a great many
monthly and quarterly and semi an
nual reports from mail order houses
are to be had, and these show that
the mail order business for the year
will show an increase of approximate
ly % per cent over last years bust
of this country has increased until at
the present time, according 10 the very
best statistics, 20 per cent of the re-
tail business of this country is done
by the mail order houses.
This years retail business will ag-
gregate about $2,500,000,000 and about
$500.000,000 Of this is mall OF der bust
ness, SO it would seem that something
is helping the mail order houses. They
are getting business from somewhere.
Occasionally retail merchants state
that they do not feel the mail order
business, but surely $500, 100000 worth
of goods cannot be sold by the mail
order houses of this country in II
months, and the retail merchants of
the country not feel the jolt, and feel
it badly, too.
The Merchants Trade Journal was
one of the opponents of the low rates
which the parcel post has put into
effect and the foregoing Is of course
in the nature of an 'T-told-you- So"
But. while the public which pays the
rates is enjoying the benefit therefrom,
there is still another side of the mail
order subject. The Publishers Guide
The small town merchant who fails
to advertise, lets down his guard to
the attack Of the mail order house.
According to the representative of one
of these cor Germs, who addressed a
recent convention of newspapermen In
Chicago, the plan is very simple.
The new business" department Of
the mail order establishm mt searches
he 1fv-xy foy- J,o
chants of which believe it is a waste
Of money TO patronize the newspapers.
Relieved of local advertising competi-
ton, the mail order men food the
residents of that section with litera-
ture, describing the products in which
they deal, which the people need, re-
quire and use, but which the local
merchants lack the enterprise to make
known 20 them.
The result is we'll known.
If the merchants of a particular |
community, on the other hand, hap
pen to be of the kind that advertise |
only staple lines, the experts of the |
mail order house are quick to note it. |
They see that the people are sven the
very information Mr.. Local Merchant |
has failed to supply them with, and
which, experience teaches. is just that
1t is easy to spot a town in which !
the mail order houses do a land office |
business. All that is necessary to To- |
cate the kind of a place is to look |
over the newspapers. If me advertis- |
ing columns are poorly patronized, you |
may know that the long distance mer- |
chants are supplying by mail the in |
formation that the short sighted local !
tradesman fails to give the residents !
through the medium of: the press.
Money invested in advertising space |
in the local publications keeps the |
business and the money home.
All Of which is of course apparent
without argument but it IS still ever
more apparent when considered in
connection with the advantage which
the local merchant has in the parce.
post rate.
For example, the rates from the Pen.
sacoIa office and from Chicago into
the same territory, for packages up
to 20 pounds are as follows: