Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-03-17
DECEPTION A
Crave OFFENSE
ExaggeraiiCn a Blood Relative
to FaISahOOd.
EXPERIENCE OF CONSUMERS.

In the Art of Deception the Mail Order
Houses Excel the World-Where Is
the Doubling Thomas Who Does Not
Remember the Sight Unseen"
Trades of 5oyhood Days7
copyrighted. 1914 by Thomas j. Sullivan.l
OF all the evil spirits abroad in the
land deception is the most dangerous.
1t is the first and worst of all frnuds.
Exaggeratun is blood relative to
falsehoOd and nearly as blamable.
Some men ana some business concerns
can never state an ordinary fact in
ordinary terms. All their yeese are
swans tn you see them.
There is no strength in exagserati ton.
Even the truth is weakened by being
expressed too strongly.
A Gaping Monster.
Mankind in the grosy 10 gaping
monster that loves to be deceived and
has seldom been disappointed. They
say that idiots only. may be coZened
twice. hut how about the mail order
buyers? How often are iney deceived
by the large catalogue houses?
In the art of deception the great
their greed for gain and rush to vic
timiZc the poor and unsuspecting they
paint their pictures of alleged bargains
too aluringly They instilI confidence
in the mind of the buyer. only later
to til his heart with doubt and dis
gust
Who does not remember the sight
unseen" trades or swaps" of bOyhood
days? One Of the parties in the trans
action usually got the worst Of it,
didn't he? And rs rule 1t wasn't
the one who proposed the deal. was it?
There is lot Of the same sort of
sight unseen" trading going on to-
day. only nowadays it is called mer-
chandising by mail
Catalogues Look inviting.
The Illustrations in the catalogues of
the retail mail order houses look invit-
ing. The reading matter sounds nice,
and sometimes the deal turns out all
right.
But, even surprising it does. where
in is the buyer any better off than if
he bought from the home merchant?
Take any article you choose from the
long list OF things sold by mail and
you will fad upon investigation that
you can buy it just AS cheaply and
Just as well ut home. The expense OF
selling 1t by mail IL Just as great AZ
the expense Of selling 1t over the coun-
ter.
Your local merchants have rent. tax
es. clerk hire. etc. to pay. and the
mail order houses have the same ex-
penses. only rent and taxes are higher
in the large cities than in the country
town. And. in addition. they have to
MAINTAIN a small army Of bookkcepers.
stenographers. shipping clerks and 9th
err employees. besides the immense cost
of advertising
How many Of the rural consumers
know that advertising appearing in
what are known as mail order ndvertis
ing mediums costs from $40 to eS5 an
inch in single columns? 1t is true new
ertheless Where does the enormous
profit come from ont of which these
enormous bills are paid? out OF the
pockets Of the consumers.
Would Welcome Such Bargains.
The city people would go wild with
JOY II these NATL order houses actual.
~ had values with style and quality.
They would not need 10 leave their
own large cities to self ut the prices
they quote as the city people would
Swoop down upon their bargains like
hungry hen hawks on green goslings.
lui with style and value lacking they
do not dare show their goods in the
city where the prospective customers
would have the opportunity OF com
garrison. but by cleverly worded and
exaggerated description they make tho
country people believe they are Offer
ing more desirable wares than the
country merchant carries and at q lee1