The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1918-01-19
Know They Must Face the Music
if Their Customers Are
DispIeased.
MEET PATRONS FACE TO FACE
Mail Order Men Prefer to Sell at Lonn
Distance Rather Than Deal
With People In Their
Own Cities.
(Copyright.)

OIIS vi tIt Stcth tACuStS I'll Tie man
who orders goods from a mail order
house is that there are many things
that he wants that the local mer-
chants do not carry in stock, and that
it is necessary for him to send away
from town to get them.
This explanation may be all right
on the theory that poor excuse is
better than none, but it fails to pass
muster when it is subjected to a lit
to scrutiny.
Ask the man who offers this as an
excuse for his dealings with the mail
order man why he does not go to the
local merchant and ask him to order
the articles desired if they are not to
he found in the merchants stock. The
merchant will very gladly do this, and
the merchant and customer will both
profit. The merchant can sell YOU
whatever YOU desire ut as low q price
rs the mail order house can make you
on goods the same quality and he can
make small profit.
The customer will profit from the
transaction, because he will be deal
ing with Il merchant who stands back
of the goods that he sells. and who
is easily accessible in Case H.. arti-
cles purchased DO not prove to he
all that the customer had expected.
Give Home Merchant Preference.
Why not try this plan the next time
you need something which you cam
not find in any Of your home stores?
The merchant in the average sized
town cannot carry in stock everything
that all of the people in his town may
want at all times. It would require
a capital many times larger than the
average merchant can command to do
this, but he does the best he can.
lie ordinarily does carry in stock at
aii times many THINGS for Which there
is no genera! demand, in order that he
may meet the needs Of his customers
. the greatest possible degree, but
here is Il limit to his purchasing abil-
ity. He is always ready and willing,
however. to make every effort to meet
The demands OF the community. Why
not, then, give him the preference over
the far-dstant mail order man if YOU
must have something which is not to
be found in ne local stores? He
will do the business in a satisfactory
give You as quick if not quick
ar service and more satisfactory treat
ment. and the chances are that |
la will give you better values for the |
money. Finally, whatever profit is to |
De made off the transaction will STAY |
It home and do it's bit toward making |
he merchant and his town and, incl
yourself. more prosperous.
No business can he transacted as
at long range as it can
when the two parties to the transac-
ion meet face to face. The only ex-
option to this rule is in the case of
he mail order man himself who can
his business with greater sue
eSs to himself at long distance than
e could if he had to meet his Gus
OmerS face to face. That is the reason
hat he does business by mail instead
f selling to the people in his own
ity. If the goods which the mail or
er man advertises in his allurirg cat
logucs were the bargains that he rep
psents them to be, he would not have
, go outside Of the confines of his
wn city to sell all the goods he could
ossibly obtain. But the average mail
rder house not only does not make
ay effort to sell goods in its own city, :
ut will not sell to anyone residing
thin the city limits. The mail order
AN does not want to meet his Gus
'mers face to face. He can do bust
ass better so far as he is concerned if
s customer is some hundreds of miles =
way from his Office.
Does Business in Open.
The man who sells goods over the
unter, on the ether hand, does bust A
,ss in the open. He cannot hide be-
nd corporate name or talk to a dis p
eased customer from behind the
cked doors of a private Office. He
lows that he must face the music in
Sc he is a party to any transaction |
ut won't stand the light of Gay. He I
lows that he must satisfy every Gus
mer with whom he may be dealing
he will lose not only that customer :
It probably others who will soon \
lOw all the facts if he does not do the
uare thing By any one Of his
irons
There is no reason in the world far
y person to send his money to