Mexico weekly ledger., 1914-01-22
COLUMBIA RETAIL MERCHANTS
SAVING THRU ORGANIZATION.
University Missourian)

university Missourian)
Members OF the Columbia Retail
Merchants Association say that thoy
nave saved enough within the last
year by refusing worthless adyertis-.
ing to reduce tho cost of living In
Columbia.
The people of Columbia are not
now paying for lot OF worthless or
almost worthless advertising which
they used to pay for. according to H.
M McPheeters. formerly Of Mexico,
MO- who was until the first of the
month secretary Of the merchants
association. Last year one mer-
chant was saved $3.50 by a rule Of
the association which bars advertis.
ing considered valueless.
Many persons had false idea
about the purpose of the merchants
association" said Mr.. MoPheeters.
Many thought the merchants organ.
ized to gouge the people, to form a
combine to raise prices. But this
was Just exactly the opposite Of it's
purpose. Columbia has had the repu
tation of being the highest priced
place in the country. This was part
iy justified. The merchants here had
an extra item of expense that would
hardly be found anywhere else. There
are SO many programs. score cards
and such things printed here that the
merchants were bled to death from
advertising in them. Although the val
ne Of such advertising was little or
nothing, the merchants as individuals
could not reject it. 1t was custom
to advertise in them, and IL one mer-
chant refused, his competitors would
go on and patronize them and the
one who refused would be considered
stingy.
"All this advertising had to be
paid for, and It counted up. That
made the merchants expense higher.
Therefore they had to- charge more
for their good. The customers had
to pay for the worthless advertising
just as the man who pays his bills
las to help pay for the merchants
bad accounts.
Newspaper advertising, because IL
Is paying advertising, has the opposite
effect for It increases sales making
1t possible to sell more goods at a
lower profit.
eve want to encourage buying In
Columbia. It has been a custom to
a great many persons here to send
away for what they wanted rather
than to buy at home. That Of
course causes the prices to bel
higher here"
The association is also working
out system OF crediting which is
intended to make collections better.
and to reduce prices through this
channel. Last year the merchants as
socIation introduced a system Of re-
bates on railroad fare to encourage
persons out of Columbia to trade
here, Advertisements OF this plan
were printed in the country papers
in this section of the State.
This refund system and the adyeis
tisements Of it were the best thing
which has ever been done to boost
Columbia, said Mr.McPheeters IS v
eral are claiming tho refunds. But
1t is better advertising in the mat
ter of acquainting the people in this
section of the state with the fact
that Columbia has attractions to Of
fer. The individual merchants profit
by 1t because students who come here
have learned of the stores in ad-l
vance. Other towns will see what 1t
is doing for Columbia and introduce
a similar system"
C. o. Hanes, who has been employ
ed as secretary OF the merchants as
sociation to succeed Mr. McPheeters,
will spend all his time in that work.
Mr.. McPheeters gave it only part of
his time.
are seeing that a strict quarantine is