Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-01-21
Confessions ST a
Mail Order Man
By MIR. M. O. x.
Revelations BY One Whose Experiencein
the Business Covers a Range From
Office Boy to General Manager
KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR
OWN COMMUNITY.


have endeavored to arouse in your
minds a feeling of dismay at the
thought of what you have been doing in
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 l have char
acterized the folly of helping big cor
porations to profit at the expense of
your local merchants. 1 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.
I 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 I 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 of newspaper advertising.
Experience is the greatest and the
best teacher and my experience has
taught me that it is preferable to
transact business with a man person
ally known, rather than with an un
definable concern without identity ex
| cept as 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 di
rect
In buying and selling there is nc
dealer or merchant that does not know
that the crooked deals come home tt
roost-therefore it is the better par
| of discretion, as well as simple hon
esty. to give full value to customer
The dealer in the small town canno
hide behind a corporate name or con
ceal himself in a private Office from
the customer who has been fooled
He must face the music In case h,
transgresses, and he realizes that h
must satisfy his customers or he will
lose them.
/ Honesty is bred in small commu
mites and is fostered, while in larg
cities it is only too often lost sight o
because of the immunity that come
with not meeting the customer in pei
son. Clerks and other employee
must bear the burden of reproach an
censure while the "man higher up
never hears of such things. Excuse
are all readymade and framed t
meet all contingencies by the head
of mail order houses and In case of
complaint from customer the CO
respondent as a rule merely indicate
certain form letter
But. in your own home town you
merchant meets you face to face an
he is always on the job. He can a
ways be found at his place of bushes
and in case of complaint he is rigf
there to see that you are Statistic
before you leave his store. He want
to please you and he will try, SINGER
ly, to please you. He wants to hol
your custom.
Now isn't this much better way
deal than to send your money ava
to the city? Isn't it much better
deal with man in your own comm
nifty, and pay him your money, ratht
than to send it away to the big ma
order house in the city, where it
treated exactly like so many Thousand
of other orders? Isn't it better
deal at home and keep the cash in ci
culation in your own community, ths
to send the dollars away where yc
or your neighbors will never see the
again?
Dollars will breed dollars None
in your community will create pro
perity for yourself and your friend
Keep the cash at home and bushes
will be better all round.
Some of you will say: There a.
so many things that I must send awe
| for"
In such case, why not let your oN
dealer send for them for you? He
in business. He can get wholesa
prices where you must pay retail. TIL
is why he is in business He mu
J make a profit in order to pay his rel
and support his family He must NAL
a profit in order to be able to carr
. the things you require on his shelv'
and counters.
II you need something that he do,
: not carry in stock, just ask him
e send to the city for it. He will do
g gladly. He will obtain discount {
n the retail price and this will affol
It him small profit for his labor. "
n pay to him the same price that W
q would pay to the city merchant
IL manufacturer
Why not let him do this for yol
n He is responsible. He will do Il
8 business in satisfactory manner al
n probably give better service and mo
It satisfactory treatment-probably
W better value for you
70 Live and let live is the motto tn
u makes the world go around smooth
d and peacefully in so far as we morta
10 are concerned. Let your local me
chant live, by giving him the oppo
tunity to make a dollar now and the
and you will be much better pleas'
with yourself as well as much mo