The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-01-12
Confessions ST q
Mail Order Man
By Mr.. M. 0. x.
Revelations by One Whose Experience in
the Business Covers Range From
Office Boy to General Manager
SOME TRICKS OF THE GAME.

concern to give customers anything
unless there is payment for it.
In other words. nobody gives any
thing for nothing.
1t isn't possible to give more than
a commercial value in merchandise
for the amount paid. 1t isn't possible
to do a profitable business unless mer-
chandise is sold for a price that is
greater than the cost and the expense
of handling. A profit must be added
in all cases.
Some concerns can buy goods at
slight advantage over others. 1t de-
ponds on the quantity ordered at one
time more than anything else No
manufacturer will sell merchandise to
one concern cheaper than to another
unless there is some compensation.
These price concessions generally
consist of a small cash discount or
small discount for large quantities.
1t was always my custom when con-,
tracing for any article to make a
price contract for an enormous guam
tity. l always paid cash, with your
money, therefore this was possible,
and | obtained also a cash discount.
In this way the manufacturer, or the
jobber, had no selling expense, in
many instances the manufacturer dis
posing on this sort of contract to my
concern of his entire output. These
discounts and price concessions on
small articles frequently did not
amount to more than a fraction of
cent on a single article. But in buy
ing / was out to get the very best
prices and make the very best deals
1 could.
But l worked out ways for making
even more money for my mail order
concern. | cut down the value of the
article in the making. l arranged
with the manufacturer to produce an
article, looking in every way to the
person who knew no better, like the
genuine article but it wasn't.
| produced what were practically
counterfeits. | cheated the people
who bought those articles.
Here's how I did it. Take, for ex-
ample, tin cup, tin pail Or a tin
p1ate-in fact any article made of tin.
I would figure it out like this. In
the first place we would use tin of
certain less weight, thinner and not
so good. Where the top curls over
the manufacturer formerly put
wire around, hidden from view, but It
was there. This wire made the ar
ticle stronger. It would stand wear
better and longer.
l would take the wire out. | would
make a lighter handle or, in some
way cut down both the quality and
the quantity of material used in max
ing the article.
So in this way l cheapened the
article. 1 lessened the cost of max
ing, which made better profit fer me.
Of course, the article was not so good,
and would not wear so long as the
honest, old-fashioned kind-such as
your local dealer buys for his stock.
But in my catalogue the illustration
made it look "just as good" and that
was all that l cared for.
Certainly, the sooner it wore out, or
got smashed or broken, the sooner you
would be compelled to send for an
other. Oh, yes, l thought that all
out, too.
In wooden ware l figured the same.
l would order a quantity, making
them up from a cheaper grade of
wood. If it had hoops l would have
it made with hoop less. The sides
and bottom would be thinner. In
some way / would cut down the guam
tity and value of the material used
for the making, so it would cost less.
So this is how l could cut prices
on such things. / did cut prices
on some articles, things like these
and because Of the manner in which
they were made. But the manufacture
er would not put his brand on such
stuff. Not he. He would say: 'Tll
put your brand on that article. I'd
be ashamed to have my brand on it.
I'd be ashamed to let anybody think
that I'd. turn out that kind of junk"
Then he would stamp my brand
on it.
What did care. | got your money
in advance as payment for the ar
tiele and what would you, way out
in the little country town, know
about how it should be made? 1t
would last all the quicker" and then
you would order another. Surely,
that's how 1t was figured.
Now, think it over. Look on some
of the articles you have bought and
see if the name of the manufacturer
is stamped on it.
l nearly forgot one thing. l beat
that game, too, in a certain clever
manner, because there's more than
one way CT fooling you.
fake manufacturer. There would be
no such concern. / would stamp
BLANK Mfg. Co." or Moon Mfg. Co."
or some such fancy name, because /
was kind of ashamed to have even
my name stamped on some of the stuff
| sent out.
manufacturers and would create brand
names. He would have a pretty, fan
cy label printed for us and l used all
sorts of devices to fool customers
guess | must have sent out lot OF
terrible stuff in those cans, but | made
big money out of them and it was
nrofifa hle