The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-07-05
CHICAGO MAIL goRDER HOUSES
AND oskALoosA PFALERs.
II Ought to Be Clear to You Which
Of the Two Competitors Ought to
Have, Your Patronage.

The Iowa Tradesman of Burlington
is boosting the Buy at HOME move
ment. A recent issue of the Trades
man says:
1t is a self-evident proposition that
no person or corporation is in bust
ness for philanthropic purposes. 1t
is equally evident that if the Chi
cago mail order houses actually could
undersell the retail dealer they would
not have to go outside of the city to
sell their goods. The Chicago mail
order houses do not try to compete
with Chicago retail dealers-do not
sell to Chicago people. Why not :
Why neglect a market at their very
door for one hundreds of miles away?
"The answer is that the mail order
buyer has no means of comparison.
He buys sight unseen, led on by the
alluring statements of the mail order
catalogs. When he gets the goods,
he may not complain, even il he is
dissatisfied. 1t is one of the weak
nesses of our human nature that we
do not like to admit even to ourselves
that we have been 'stung.' 1t is an
other weakness that, perhaps uncon-
sciously, we are inclined to depreci-
ate the products of the home dealer,
to discount the value of his wares un-
justly.
1--WE think that Brown, the home
dealer, cannot successfully compete
with those big fellows. Why, Browns
entire capital, all his possessions,
perhaps, would not pay years rent
of one of those big Chicago buildings
Exactly. But remember that
Brown has no such rent to pay. If
you ever had hauling done in a big
city, YOU may have some idea of the
enormous sum that drayage alone
costs the mail order houses. Be-
sides-you pay the freight.
"The mail order houses have other
expenses. Their printing bills are
enormous. There are heavy bills
for heating, lighting and clerk hire
Even after your order has passed
through different hands and the goods
you have ordered have been selected,
lit passes through the hands of three
different inspectors before it is
wrapped Still others must look up
routes to see that it is properly
shipped. All these order clerks, bill
ing clerks, wrappers, inspectors and
teamsters, besides small army of
department managers, superintend-
ents and straw bosses must be
paid. When you buy from Brown,
he or his clerk will take the articles
you want from the Shelves, wrap
them and hand them to you, or send
them by delivery driver, and the
transaction is completed. There is
every logical reason why Brown can
sell goods cheaper than the mail or
der houses. Then, why the discrep-
ancy that seems SO apparent in the
mail order catalog? The answer is
that they sell you goods that Brown
wouldn't handle. 1t is not up to the
standard you demand from Brown.
If Brown offered you a package of
soda marked Packed Expressly for
Brown" you might sniff at it at
least, you would view it with some
measure of suspicion-but you would
buy the "Barnum Smith Brand" put
up in the same way with the fullest
confidence, because Barnum Smith is
a big mail order concern and you un-
consciously Judge of quality by the
size of the establishment you are
trading with. H.. t'
did you ever buy really high
grade goods, the kind that are adver-
tised in the magazines, and which are
recognized the country over as stand
ard and pure, from a mail order
house? No. The mail order house
does not handle that class of goods"