The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-06-08
TRADING AT HOME

lTdue-dl-HOmt proposition was Ga
haustively discussed at a meeting of
the Lakeland Board of Trade one
night recently.
1t was stated that a great many
purchases which could just as well
and just as advantageously be made
in Lakeland were being made in
Tampa. How to keep this business
at home was the subject of an ami
mated dscussion-which led to no
satisfactory conclusion.
In order to keep all trade at home
it will be necessary to reconstruct
human nature to a certain extent.
The first step in this direction might
be the elimination of that selfshness
which is part of the makeup of some
people, which looks only to the saw
ing of few cents on an individual
purchase, and which for this trifling
personal advantage would cheerfully
sacrifice the community interests.
Then, there is that little element
Of foolish vanity, which makes some
people get the notion that if they
can parade something that they can
boast was purchased in another and
larger city, it somehow confers a dis
tinction upon them, and marks them
as persons of finer discrimination
and more fastidious taste than the
individual who is satisfied with what
his home town offers.
This last phase of the trade
abroad folly is the most difficult to
combat. Auburndale merchants com
plain that those who should be their
patrons come to Lakeland; some
Lakeland folks buy in Tampa; Tam
pa people send to Jacksonville; the
residents of the last-named city shop
in New York; New Workers send to
Europe; and, presumably, the eur
riner" who wants something differ
ent' sends to New York or some 9TH
er place equally distant. The gener-
ally accepted theory is that the fur
Their away from home you can pur-
chase an article the better it is.
OF course, our merchants could
combat this condition to a certain
extent, If they would. They could
follow the same tactics the Tampa
merchants and others in large cities
use-advertlse extensively, push
their goods, and otherwise impress
upon the people that they can buy
as adyantageously at home as else
where. Some of them prefer, how
ever, to sit and sulk and see bust
ness gobbled up by out-of- town
dealers. They even go so far as to
crltlclse and condemn the local pa
per because it accepts advertisinp
from Tampa firms.
Publicity is what the newspan nor
mas to sell. If the local merchant
is 100 shortsighted to see the advan-
tage of this publicity, and declines
TO BUY 1t, isn't it a little unreason-
able to expect the publisher to refuso
TO sell 1t to those who do recognize
Its efficacy? If a Tampa man came !
ana wanted to buy a commodity one
d THESE merchants has to sell we |
wonder if the merchant would do
zine to sell the man because he of
cred them Tampa money!
And if advertising takes trade ont
u Lakeland and brings it to tbe
merchants in Tampa thirtv-two
mics distant, to such an extent that
hev Duy space at higher rate than
ne local merchant has to paw does
not look reasonable that it would
'rlng trade the few feet from tho
ldeWalk to the local merchants
rms paper has always, in season
hu out OF season, preached the COS
ei Oh trading at home. 1t never buys
pennys worth elsewhere that il
an purchase from local firms yot
aough it has many thousands of
ollars invested in printing maebin-
~ building, etc, distributes
Irge payroll, boosts every local con-
sfh continuously, and is in coupt-
IS o'her ways of advantage to the
immunity, a great deal of PRINTING
sent TO concerns in the north
mere are Institutions here which we
ltronize daily, and which we beIped
oulld' which never give us 4
ekels worth of printing unless
ey call on US to accommodate them
l'li the printed matter they order
the box from the northern con-
rms shall arrive.
we sympathize with the home
erehant, but We are in the same
TX. -ie
why can't we all work together.