Middletown transcript., 1914-03-21
Why IQuit M. o. Houses
BY MRS. .. H. RUST, Pelican. PA.


TNST it queer why many people to think gives
them distinction prestige to order goods from
far off city to buy things which their neghbors
not likely to possess?
We are farmers and live mile and half from a small,
railroad village of five hundred inhabitants In my home
and every other home the village and surrounding
munes there be found from five catalogs from
mail order houses The caaogs contain pictures and glow
ing descriptions of all of merchandise from
trap apano The pictures fascinating to the would
be purchaser and so cheap
tried the ordering business time and again. Once
we ordered washing machine which the mail order
chant claimed would do perfect work. and agreed to refund
the money if the machine failed give satisfaction After
trying thoroughly found that it perfectly worth
less Resting in the catalogs promise to
turn the money sent the machine back After waiting
six months and wasting considerable pastage
ceved the first of the machine The freight
charges paid both ways loss We did not deal any
more with particular mail order house, but there
other that we had more faith in
sent money order for number of articles that in
tended give for Christmas presents few before
Christmas the package by express with big charges
attached and there only articles in it that had
ordered The other things substitutes These houses
always state that they the right to substitute pro-
vided they haven't the goods which ordered
Then again. my husband ordered ncelooking solid
coored shirts When the came they broad checked
and loud in appearance not respectable looking and
smaller than had been ordered
Last winter needed wrap One cataog showed women
coats galore all very handsome and exceedingly cheap For
getting my past experience with mail order houses select
ed coat wrote out the exact size wanted and sent the
order. When it it positively shabby, and nice
fit for two hundred pound neghbor while my weight
is one hundred pounds took it to local merchant and
asked sell for any price he could get for it also
got him to order from wholesale house that he
deals with. 1t came in few days, handsome garment
and good fit.
Again and again disappointment attended these deals with
mail order houses and we determined them alone
While their goods always listed at few cents cheaper
than the home merchants afford ose goods by the time
postage and freight charges counted the cheapness is
favor of the home merchants.
Our local merchants willing to buy farm products
They subscribe literally all public claims schools churches
roads and other things t1at help community Their
money is paid for the benefit of the vicinity in
which they operate and their sympathies with
their own people When crops gathered do sell
them to the mail order merchants? Do send them
basket of eggs to exchange for dry goods grocees Do
we 90 to when funds low and ask them to tide
over until finances No. they nothing u.s.
our lows or gres after they receive money for their
cataoged goods and all know would be nonsense to ask
them for help The home merchant the who helps
with burdens and he in turn should receive our whole
hearted patronage.
It is often said that confession good for We all
make mistakes times, but greatmany people do not
fess their mistakes but the Journal believes that it
ony good for Rust make the above confession ad
NIT that she has made Bmistake by patronzng mail order
houses but certainly this confession of this lady should be
good for the merchants of her town, ALSO
There are great many people throughout the country
have been dealing with mail order houses that feel just
this woman does They dissatisfied. They feel that
ev have paid too much for the goods they have bought
through these concerns There doubt but many many
people who been paronzng these have in
av been convinced that they have made mistake and
believe that the merchant who not constantly the alert
and who is not making it point to talk these things
with the people about him, making mistake. There
anv people like this lady who have felt that they hal made
mistakes in buying goods of mail order houses but yet have
done Just as she andhave ordered again and again. because
of the mpeing power of the mail order house cataog
that has been constantly before them.
People are thinking They thinking along these lines
TODAY as they have thought before and is the time
that retail merchants should beactve, not particularly in
fighting or combating the mail order house business but in
advancing their business.-Merchants Trade Journal