The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-09-18
Kenosha Retailers Expect
To Open Up a Mail Order
Business of Their Own
For Kenosha County.
HIT SPURIOUS lads s."
Retailers At Wednesday Meeting AL
SO Vote TO Lead In the Prosecution
Of Any Kenosha Merchants Who
Practice Spurious Advertising.

The Kenosha merchants are going to
fight the mail order houses with the
latter S own weapons. This was the
agreement reached Wednesday evening
at the regular meeting of the Kenosha
Retailers Association in the assembly
room eff the Chamber of Commerce
building when move was started for
the merchants to carry on mail order
business Of their own throughout Ke
nosha county. The Retailers Associa-
tion will be the clearing house through
which the work will be conducted and
catalogues will be issued at first semi
annually and then quarterly, telling
just what the Kenosha merchants have
to offer for sale by the mail order
route. The first edition Of the cata-
logue will probably go to press not
later than November the LIST.
We believe that we are entitled to
some Of the business that is getting
out Of the county through the mail
| order method and we are going after
lito explained Secretary Maddox in re-
Il gard to the plan. We have not com
|pleted our plans entirely, but in gen
eral they will offer the merchants
chance to list merchandise in the cata-
logues at rates sufficient TO pay for the
printing and circulation costs. All
orders will be sent to the association
and then by means of order numbers
o,,& 10 har 10 hax
advertised their wares in the cata-
llogues. We will put copy of the
catalogue in each home in the county
and Judging from the way that the plan
/ has succeeded in other places we be-
/ lieve that it will be successful in keep
| ing the trade at home.
| Secretary Maddox also declared that
the mail order method of conducting
business had certain advantages for
country customers who by means Of
catalogues could do their shopping
around the fireside He declared that
Kenosha merchants could furnish mer
lchandise to Kenosha county patrons as
cheaply as the Chicago firms and that
they intended to demonstrate this. The
scheme which will be used was original
/ ly worked out by Secretary Maddox
and submitted to meeting Of secre
ltaries in Chicago, 1t has been tried
and found successful in Fort Dodge,
Iowa, and several other cities similar
/ in size to Kenosha.
The merchants also took action to
stamp out any misleading advertising,
which it is rumored has been carried
on in other cities and one or two in
stances in Kenosha. The merchants
were unanimous in declaring that it
acted as boomerang against all mer-
chants and voted unanimously to APP
point committee to investigate the
few cases now before the association
and to lead in the prosecution Of
them on charges Of fraudulent adver-
Using in case any grounds for the rum
. ors were discovered.
A new wrinkle is to open the
Shop Early campaign this holiday sea
son, according to the plans laid by the
merchants at the Wednesday meeting.
All Of the members Of the association
are to decorate their show windows
behind drawn blinds. Then at the ap-
pointed hour on the opening evening of
the campaign these are to be raised and
the feast OF attractive presents spread
before the gaze Of the buying public.
Chairman Joseph Pitts of the Booster
Trip committee, made a report setting
forth the plans for the day when
the merchants are to have a good
tine and get acquainted with their
customers in the country.
Convention reports from the dele
gates to Green BAY were also heard,
showing that Kenosha had the second
largest representation at the state meet.
In the miscellaneous bushes taken
up at the meeting the association voted
unanimously that the SiegeI bill now
before the House of Representatives to
force the merchants to mark the cost
price IN plain figures, was a foolish
measure and should be opposed by the
members IN every way possible. Three
new members were admitted to the
organization.