Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1915-01-22
Confessions ST a
Mail Order Man
By Mr.. M. o. x.
Revelations by One Whose Experience In
the Business Covers Range From
Office Boy to General Manager
HOW . WORKED THE CREDIT
SYSTEM.

If you are dissatisfied, how many
times do you get your money back?
Did you ever get it back promptly
and without a struggle?
This is my game-to pretend that
your money will be returned in case
you are not pleased with your pur-
chase and then, if you do send in
good hot kick you will get letter
back asking you to select something
else from the catalogue. You will
be tired out with letters and sug-
gestions as to what you should take
instead of the article you kicked ON
until you finally decide to save any
more trouble and take something else,
something you didn't want at all.
But suppose that really the great
est joke of all is played on the peo-
pie in the small towns by my So
called credit" system.
send you a catalogue and in
vite you to buy anything you want
and to take your own time to pay for
1t. The literature l send out leads
you to believe that do not care for,
money at all. l try to make you be-
lleve that you are great friend of my
concern, that you are entitled to great
consideration, that your wants shall be
supplied with the greatest possible care
and that you are reliable and entitled
to credit.
Il will not make any inquiries con.
corning your credit" says my litera-
ture.
mo questions will be asked of your
neighbors," says another paragraph.
your neighbors and friends will
never know that you are dealing with
US on credit" says still another Sec
ton of my letter. But most certainly
do inquire about you. For instance:
l had an outside concern-that is a
concern running under another name
and with separate address from the
main store. This address was the
home of my credit manager or the Of
flee of my collection lawyer"
When you write in for credit this
Is the way l do it. l have you sign,
first Of all, paper which is a part of
the order blank and is really legal
contract, giving me power and author.
ity to come into your home and take
out, not only the things you have pur-
chased on credit from me but also
everything else. When you sign an or
der for goods on credit you unwilling
ly sign chattel mortgage on your
household property. Then, after this
paper is in my possession can swoop
down on you and drag out every stick
of furniture you have in the place and
sell it at auction to pay the amount
still due.
If a bookkeeper makes an error in
figures if some clerk steals remit
lance from you, sent in to apply on
your account, you have absolutely no
chance to object. 1t is the law.
Now. when you send in your order
and application for credit, you must
send, also-for such is my rule-an
order and the amount specified as the
first payment. You expect to get the
goods right away but no, there are GER
tain things to be done before l ship
the goods. have your money, SO
you must wait.
Then my credit man sends letter,
written on the fake" letterhead of my
outside concern, to some of your neigh
bors, asking them # your character is
good, if you are in the habit of paying
your bills, if your morals are good,
how much you earn week, etc. Your
order is held until answers are re.
ceived from those of your neighbors
to whom the letters of inquiry were
sent. Then If the answers have been
satisfactory, you are sent contract
to be signed by you and you must wait
until this has been received by my
credit department.
Then the goods are shipped And
the awful prices-goodness gracious
what prices charged for the very.
cheapest and most unreliable class of
goods. My policy is to set price, the
first payment of which pays for the
actual cost of the goods. Then all the
rest is "velvet." All of the future pay
ments are profit to my house. You
really pay for the goods, the actual
value. when you send in the first pay
ment. l. won't lose anything If you
never send in another cent.
But think of it-you must keep
sending in money to meet the other
payments for perhaps two years-so
much each month. Any time you fail
to meet monthly payment send the
papers to local lawyer and he can
take possession Of your household
goods and sell them on the street.
Some Of the goods l send you
are not worth hauling to the cars. 1
remember one lot of parlor furniture
that had lot of damages, one of
which was broken leg on the divan.
It never could be fixed. sent that
set out every time 1 could substi-
tute it for another on an order and
1t always came back. We had a lot
of Joking about that old crippled set
Of parlor furniture and, well, it had
a lot of adventures. l shipped that