The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1915-02-12
THE LOSING SIDE OF
MAIL ORDER TRADING
How One Family Lost Over $500 by
Not Shopping With Their Home
Town Merchants

Reproduced by special request OF
Chamber of Commerce.)
Hans GarbuS, German farmer of
Iowa, has discovered that the benefits
which appear on the surface as at
taching to the mail order plan come
times spell disaster and has written
very interesting story of his views
in a certain farm paper. Here is q
part of his story:
eve farmers need awakening to the
fact that we have unmistakably
reached the period where we must
think and plan. am one Of the slow
German farmers that had to be shown
and | am now giving my experience
that others may profit for knowledg
is more expensive now than ten years
ago.
Twenty years ago, | began my
farm career. | had an old team and
$50. Our furniture was mostly home
made chairs, cupboard and lounge
made from dry goods boxes, neatly
covered with ten-ccnt cretonne by my
girl wife We rented eighty acres. Be
ing boy Of good habits | got al
needed machinery and groceries of
our home merchants OF credit, until
fall crops We're sold. The first year
was q wet season. and | did not
make enough to pay creditors.
went to each on date of promise and
explained conditions, paying as much
as possible, and they all carried the
balance over another year. They
continued 20 accommodate me until
! was able to buy forty-acre piece
of my own.
CAS- soon as | owned these few
acres the mail order houses began
sending me catalogues, and gradually
| began sending my loose change to
them, letting my accounts stand in
my home town where | had cotton
my accommodation when | needed
it.
1--WE then had one of the thriftiest
little villages in the state-good line
of business in all the branches, mer-
chants who were willing to help an
honest fellow over a bad year, and a
town full of people who came twice a
week to trade and visit. Our little
country town supported a library.
high school. ball team and we had
big celebrations every year.
"a farm near a live town soon
doubles in value. | sold my forty
acres at big advance and bought an
eighty-acre farm, gradually adding
to it until l had 200 acres of the
best land in Iowa. then felt no
need of asking favors, and found iC
easy to patroniZe the mail order ag-
ents that came almost weekly to our
door. l regret to say that l was the
first in the country 20 make up
neighborhood bill and send it to a
mail order house. Though we got
bit every once in while, we got in
the habit of sending away for stuff.
"Gradually our merchants lessened
their stock of goods-for lack of pat
ronage. Finally we began to realize
that when we needed a bolt quickly
for machinery, or clothing for sick
ness or death, we had to wait and
send away for it, which wasn't so
pleasant. One by one our merchants
moved /, places where they were APP
preciated, and men Of less energy
moved in. Gradually our town mas
gone down; our business houses are
"tacky" in appearance, a number are
empty; our schools, churches ana
walks are going down, we have no
band, no library nor ball team. There
is no business done in the town, and
therefore no taxes to keep thing up.
Hotel is closed for lack of travel.
Go down to the depot when the
freight pulls in and you will see the
sequel in mail order packages.
mine years ago my farm was
worth $195 an acre; today I'd have
hard matter to sell it NJ SlG7 an
acre. 1t is too far from live town
so every farmer has said that wants
to buy. He wants place near
schools and churches, where MS chill
Gren can have advantages. | have
awakened to the fact that in helping
to pull the town down it has cost me
$500 in nine years. The Journal
Of Commerce, New York.