River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-03-05

the Doubling Thomas Who Does Not
Remember the "Sight Unseen"
Trades OF 5oyhood Days?
Copyrighted, 1914, by Thomas ]. Sullivan.]
Of all the evil spirits abroad in the
land deception is the most dangerous.
1t is the first and worst of all frauds.
Exaggeration is a blood relative to
falsehood and nearly as blamable
Some men and some business concerns
can never state an ordinary fact in
ordinary terms. All their geese are
swans till you see them.
There is no strength in exaggeratiOn.
Even the truth is weakened by being
expressed too strongly.
A Gaping Monster.
Mankind in the gross is a gaping
monster that loves to be deceived and
has seldom been disappointed. They
say that idiots only may be cozened
twice, but how about the mail order
buyers? How often are they deceived
by the large catalogue houses?
In the art of deception the great
mail order houses excel the world. In
their greed for gain and rush to vic
timize the poor and unsuspecting they
paint their pictures of alleged bargains
too aIluringly. They instill confidence
in the mind of the buyer, only later
to fill his heart with doubt and dis
gust.
Who does not remember the sight
unseen" trades or Swaps" Of hoyhood
days? One of the parties in the trans
action usually got the worst of it,
didn't he? And as a rule it wasn't
the one who proposed the deal, was it?
There is a 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 supposing it does, where
in is the buyer any better off than II
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 we'll at home. The expense Of
selling it by mail is just as great as
the expense of selling it 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 small army of bookkeepers,
stenographers, shipping clerks and 9th
or employees, besides the immense cost
of advertising.
How many of the rural consumers
know that advertising appearing in
what are known as mail order advertis-
ing mediums costs from $42 to $85 an
inch in single columns? 1t is true new
ertheless. Where does the enormous
profit come from out 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 if these mail order houses actual
ly had values with style and quality.
They would not need to leave their
own large cities to sell at the prices
they quote. as the city people would
swoop down upon their bargains like
hungry hen hawks on green goslings
But with style and value lacking they
90 not dare show their goods in the
city where the prospective customers
would have the opportunity of COM
parison, but by cleverly worded and
exaggerated description they make the
country people believe they are offer
ing more desirable wares than the
country merchant carries and at less
price, and, having no opportunity for
comparison before buying, many peo-
pie naturally are duped
Everybody knows the picture of a
five dollar suit of clothes looks as good
as the picture of twenty dollar suit.
The description reads well. The suit
seems to be what you want.
Cash With the Order.
You send your good money be-
cause the mail order house will not ac-
ept an order where the money does
not accompany it. Then the suit ar
rives. 1t was to be ali wool. but it is
not. 1t is fully size too large and
several years out of date, and, besides,
it has the style and general appear
nee of she prison made garment.
If Mr.. Mail Order Man were right
here You would not accept the goods.
but he is far away, selling suits, no
doubt. TO some other nonsuspecting
sons of man.
Next time yon are attracted by an
ID. of some mail order bargain" just
lip it olt and take it to your local
Iealer aud see if he will not duplicate