The Monticellonian., 1915-02-04
Confessions ST a
Mail Order Man
By Mr.. M. o. K.
Revelations by One Whose Experience in
the Business Covers a Range From
Office Boy to General Manager
KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR
OWN COMMUNITY.


minds a feeling of dismay at the
4 thought of what you have been doing in
sending your money to the mail order
/ houses instead of spending your dol
lars at home and thereby helping your
local communities to prosper.
In unrestricted terms | have char
aeterized the folly of helping big cor
porations to profit at the expense of
1 your local merchants. | have tried to
/ show you the eriminality, against your
SELF your townspeople and your de-
seendants, of scorning the prosperity
of your own communities and deliber-
ately working against the interests of
your own towns by sending your funds
to the city
| have depicted the feolishness of
buying from mail order houses when
you can obtain just as good or better
merchandise from your own local mer-
chants and | have exposed the meth
DDS in vogue in at least one mail order
concern.
These articles have been addressed
to those of you who live in the smaller
communities and in the country
where you are compelled to rely on
individual honesty among yourselves
rather than on the pledges OF men
who do business with brass bands
and pages of newspaper advertising.
Experience is the greatest and the
best teacher and my experience has
taught me that 1t is preferable to
transact business with a man person
ally known, rather than with an un-
definable concern without identity ex-
cept as a corporation. In the big cities
we are compelled to deal wholly with
the latter while in the smaller cities
and towns you can meet the former
face to face and do your business d.
rect.
In buying and selling there is nc
dealer or merchant that does not know
that the crooked deals come home to
roost-therefore it is the better part
of discretion. as well as simple hon
esty, to give full value to customer.
The dealer in the small town cannot
hide behind a corporate name or con-
ceal himself in a private office from
the customer who has been fooled.
He must face the music IN case he
transgresses, and he realizes that he
must satisfy his customers or he will
lose them.
Honesty is bred in small ,commu-
mites and is fostered, while in large
cities it is only too often lost sight Of
/ use of the immunity that comes
! i not meeting the customer in per-
son Clerks and other employees
must bear the burden OF reproach and
eensure while the man higher up
never hears of such things. Excuses
are all readymade and framed to
meet all contingencies by the heads
of mail order houses and in case of
complaint from customer the cor
respondent as rule merely indicates
a certain form letter.
But in your own home town your
merchant meets you face to face and
he is always on the job He can al
ways be found at his place of business
and In case of complaint he is right
there to see that you are satisfied
before you leave his store. He wants
to please you and he will try, sincere
ly, to please you. He wants to hold
your custom.
Now isn't this a much better way to
deal than to send your money away
to thu city? Isn't it much better to
deal with man in your own eommu-
nifty, and pay him your money, rather
than to send it away to the big mail
order house in the city, where 1t is
treated exactly like so many thousands
of other orders? Isn't it better to
deal at home and keep the cash in cir
culation in your own community. than
to send the dollars away where you
or your neighbors will never see them
again?
Dollars will breed dollars. Money
in your community will create pros
perity for yourself and your friends.
Keep the cash at home and business
will be better all round
Some of you will say: There are
so many things that | must send away
for"
In such case, why not let your own
dealer send for them for you? He is
in business He can get wholesale
prices where you must pay retail That
is why he is in business He must
make a profit IN order to pay his rent
and support his family. He must make
a profit in order to be able to carry
the things you require on his shelves
and counters.
II you need something that he does
not carry in stock, just ask him to
send to the city for it. He will do SO
gladly He will obtain discount off
the retail price and this will afford
him a small profit for his labor. You
pay to him the same price that you
would pay to the city merchant or
manufacturer.
Why not let him do this FOR you?
He is responsible He will do the
business in satisfactory manner and
probably give better service and more
satisfactory reatment-probably
better value for you.
Live and let live is the motto that
makes the world go around smoothly
and peacefully in so far as we mortals
are concerned Let your local mer-
chant live. by giving him the oppor-
tunity to make dollar now and then,
and you will be much better pleased
with yourself as we'll as much more
satisfied with some of your purchases.
Your local merchant is loyal-he
and your local newspaper. Both &C.
cupy places that you cannot fill by