The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-02-23

Local Merchants Deficient In knowI-
edge Of Advertising.
copyrighted. 1914. by Thomas J. Suliivahl
The first hypocrite was the man VINO
stole the livery of the court of heaven
to serve the devil in.
Some people speak as If hypocrites
were confined only to religion, but
they are everywhere, people pretend
ling to wealth when they have not
sixpence, assuming knowledge Of which
they are ignorant, shamming cul-
ture they are far removed from, adopt
ing opinions they do not hold and pre-
tending honest business roles which
are far from the legitimate
AS man loves gold, in that pro-
portion he hates to be imposed upon
by counterfelts, and in proportion as
man has regard for that which is
above price and better than gold he
abhors that hypocrisy which is but
its counterfeit.
Lying before the writer is the acme
of hypocrisy. 1t is catalogue of one
of those mail order houses, and on one
page three sewing machines are adver-
tised The first is declared to be the
most perfect sewing machine on the
market" the second is said 60 have
more good sensible ideas than any
other" while the third is praised as
being 1.-The most superior sewing ma
chine on the market"
Now. which Of these machines really
is the best? Which OF them is as good
as the one your retailer sells and guar
antees? Can any reader Of the above
triumvirate of ads. tell? Most assur.
eddy not
The lesson should be plain to all who
receive these catalogues. They con-
tain glowing descriptions Of goods, but
the senders of money do not know
what they are going to get for their
money when they send it to mail or
der house
Goods In Plain Packages.
Were it not so serious 1t would be
amusing to read some of the smooth
arguments the catalogue houses ad-
vance to their readers in an effort to
induce them to send in orders They
say that goods are sent in plain pack
ages because many merchants who buy
| of them to sell again object to having
their name appear on the boxes. We
know we are safe in saying there is
not one single merchant in the whole
United States who ever ordered any
goods from these concerns. The state
ment is made in an effort to make the
consumer believe that he can buy as
cheaply as his local merchant can.
But printed matter that will sell
goods is within the power Of almost
any local retailer Most all the expert
advice is little more than empty gen.
eralizing about nonessentials. 1t is not
literature, remember, but advertising,
that you want to write. knowledge OF
words and type and the ability to
write fine Introductory paragraphs and
striking headings are not to be de
spised. of course. but the facts, not
: fancy ways of saying them, are what
induce the people to spend their money
in the local stores.
The merchants knowledge of his
store. his goods and the people Is more
than an Offset for any lack of ability tc
coin catchy phrases or to use technical
.. language in telling the printer how he
would like to have his advertising
look.
When the merchant sits down tC
write his ed. he should imagine that
his hardest customer to sell to Is seat
ed on the other side of his desk. He
should write what his talk would be
IL he were determined to make a sale
to that customer when in the most OBJ
stinate of moods. He should write II
all down, then lock 1t in his desk for 6
few hours, later cut out all the super
huous words and print the facts with
out any trimmings.
Personality Brings Trade.
The nearer the local merchant cal
come to making his advertising sount
{ like his talk the more effective 1t VII
be. Personality is what brings ant
holds trade; personality secures to you
competitor trade likewise difficult t
y wean away from him.
The modern retail merchant mus
make sure thar his displays in his win
dows and in the store itself are such
will interest women general VAR
ETY. ought TO be shown. with price
clearly indicated In plain figures. Max
inspection easy and then let shopper
inspect undisturbed for In this mar
e ner many new wants will be develops
in the minds OF the shoppers. Tn
merchant or salesman who stands owe
U a shopper and attempts to press sal
invariably annoys the customer an
hastens his or her departure.
The merchant who has not advance
with the times must come to full real
ization ut once that many changes ar
necessary before he can hope to CON
pete resultfully with retail mail orde
houses. and the first and principa
change is the manner in which hi
o stock is displayed. and in the process
d of this arrangement he must take int
a..