Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-02
Editors Letter Box
To- sides to the Question.


Editor Kennebec Journal:
Talk it over with your home mer-
chant"
citation who are conducting the cam
naien against the mail order houses
through advertising cartoons in the
Kennebec journal and other papers.
The reason for the mail order house
IL that the local merchant discrini-
mates against the customer who does
not desire the whole measure OF service
the merchant is prepared to render.
The ordinary local merchant supports
a delivery system also credit system,
the credit system carrying with II
many long standing accounts and bad
bills.
Tho customer coming into the store
with the money to pay for his pur-
chase and the willingness to carry
home his goods gets no lower price
than the one who has his goods deliv-
cred and the bill put on the book and
who keeps the merchant waiting six
months for his pay.
Now SO long as the local merchant
continues to discriminate against his
best class of customers in that way all
the advertising against the mail order
houses however conducted will be
wasted effort.
Another point, the local merchant
himself has a much more unpatriotic
practice than that of the man who
buys of the mail order house. They
will Tot pay the same price for local
produce that they would be obliged to
pay for the same goods bought in the
large markets and shipped in to them.
For example the local producer of veal
or hogs largely ships to Boston and
the same meat comes back to Water
vile to be retailed, and what locally
produced goods are bought by the mer-
chants are bought at a price 10 per
cent. to 20 per cent. below cost Of
same goods from Boston, but the price
to the consumer is based on cost of
same quality of goods received from
Boston. / know about this for l am a
local producer, in a small way. and
have sold beets and squash, veal, hogs
and the like and know by experiences
that the local merchant will not nav
the same price for local goods even
though the local supply is not equal to
the demand and that part Of the goods
required to supply the demand must
be shipped in from the large markets.
Let the local merchant mark his
goods with a cash price that gives him
1air profit, then if the goods go out
on delivery add to the price a per-
centage or charge for the delivery
enough to cover the cost and If the
price Is Charged on the books add an
other charge to cover cost of book
keeper and for losses. Then and not
till then will the local merchant he
1alr to the customer with the cash to
pay and the ability and willingness to
transport his own purchase.
Inc Merchants Association can ad.
vortise patriotism till they are black in
the race Tor all the good it will do
Ihey must practise what they preach
ana they will not have occasion to adj
vertise.
The mail order house will prosner
ana the consumer will organize cor
porative buying and selling associa-
tions until you give them SQUARE
deal. The local merchants have only
themselves to blame for the mail order
house and the cooperative buying as
ISOLATION.
Another point, the local merchants
make the consumers support three
times as many stores as are required
TO DO the business of the community.
that all costs and adds to the price to
the consumer.
Reform tho local distribution system
ana you can then talk with convincing
force, but until you do, your talk won't
cut any ice.
j. L. DEAN.
WaterXille Me