The Harrison times., 1915-03-27
Confessions ST a
Mail Order Man
By Mr.. M. o. x.
Revelations by One Whose Experienced In
the Business Covers a Range From
Office Boy TO General Manager
KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR
OWN COMMUNITY.

tnOugnJ OF WndC you nave Deeu uOlH6 III
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
acterized the folly Of helping big cor
porations to profit at the expense Of
your local merchaAts. have tried to
show you the criminality, against your
self, your townspeople and your de-
scendants, 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 foolishness of
buying from mail order houses when
you can obtain just as good or better
merchandise from your own local mer-
chants and l have exposed the meth
ods 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 o. 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-
deflnable concern without Identity eX'
cept as q 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 no
dealer or merchant that does not know
that the crooked deals come home to
roost-therefor Il Is the better part
OF discretion as we'll as simple hon
esty, to give full value to a customer
The dealer in the small town cannot
hide behind a corporate name or con-
ceal himself In n 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 II Is only too often lost sight OF
because OF the immunity that comes
with not meeting the customer in per-
son. Clerks and other employees
must bear the burden of reproach and
oensure while the man higher up
never hears OF such things, Excuses
are all readymNde and framed to
meet oil contingencies by the heads
of mail order houses and In case OF a
complaint from customer the cor
respondent as rule merely indicates
n certain form letter,
But In your own home town your
merchant meets you face TO face and
he IL always on the Job He can al
ways be found at his place Of business
and In case Of n complaint he IN right
there TO see that you are satisfied
before you leave hlg store, He wants
TO please you and he will try, sincere
ly, to please you. lie wants to hold
your custom,
Now isn't this q much better way to
deal than to send your money away
20 the oty2 Isn't Il much better to
deal with q man In your own eommu'
nifty, and pay him your money rather
than to send Il away TO the big mail
order house IN tho city, whore II iB
treated exactly like no many thousands
OF other ordorB2 Isn't II better TO
deal ut home and keep the cash In cir
oulatlon In your own community, than
TO send the dollars away whore you
or your nolghbors will noyor SEQ thom
agnln7
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 bo better all round
Some Of you will say There are
no many things that | must send away
for"
In such u case, why not lot your own
dealer send for them for your lie Ia
In business. lie can get Wholesale
prices where YOU must pay retail That
In why he IN In bualncsa lie must
make n profit In order 70 pay his rent
and support his family Ho must make
profit In order 20 be able TO carry
the things you require on hla shelves
and oountofs
II you need something that ho does
not carr In stock, Just ask him TO
send TO the city for II, lie win do no
gladly, lie will obtain u discount OF
the retail price and this viii AFFORD
him u small profit for hia labor, You
nay 90 him the aamo prlco that YOU
would pay TO the city merchant or
manufacturer
Why not let him do this for your
lie Ia responsible lie will do the
business IN a satisfactory manner and