Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-07-04
Capital OF the Mail Order House
Is Furnished by Its
xIA. Customers A.1x.
WORKS ALWAYS ON VELVET
Buyers Supply Money to Support En-
terprisea Competing With Those
in Which They Are
~ e.. Interested. es4ssH

money, but there are few people who
can do IL. Probably the only bust
ness men who, as a class, are able
to do this, are the mail order men Ia
the big cities.
Did you ever stop to think-you
who have ordered goods from a mail
order house and there are probably
few who have not done that at some
time or other--that you are supplying
the cash upon which the mail order
man Is doing business? You are well
aware Of the fact that your cash must
go with your order If you expect to re-
celve the goods. but have you ever
stopped TO think what that means? Do
1 you realize that you are supplying the
capital for business which Is run
ming In direct competition with your
home merchants, upon whose prosper
ity you and your fellow townsmen are
dependent for LIVELIHOOD
The majority of mail order houses
do not carry large stocks of goods.
They do not have to. When the mail
order man gets your order, accom-
panied by the cash, of course, he can
take a part OF your money and go to
the manufacturer or the wholesaler
and buy the article that Is wanted. The
rest of the money he can put down In
his pocket after paying his operating
costs. which are light when compared
with those of the merchant who must
carry a large stock of goods to meet
the demands made upon him.
In Glass by Themselves.
There Is absolutely no other class Of
men who do business on the capital
furnished by their customers. Even
the retail store which sells for cash
only cannot do this for he must carry
Il large stock and in most cases must
pay cash for It in order to get prices |
that will enable him to make lower |
prices to his customers than can be |
made by the merchant who gives credit |
to his customers.
The mail order man doesn't need to /
have any of his own capital invested
Ia his buslness-or any large amount
of Il, at least. In proportion to the vol
ume of tire business which he does. He
does not have to pay interest to the
banks on money borrowed to help him
finance his business. The mail order
man figures that about one-half of the
amount he receives on any order goes
TO the wholesaler or manufacturer in
for the goods ordered. OF
the remainder part goes for postage.
maintenance of office and
plant. insurance, etc. What Is left.
which Is by no means an Insignificant
part of every dollar received. goes into
dividends TO stockholders in the mail
order corporation. All this has been
done without any capital other than
That which may be required to pay Of
Ice expenses.
Suppose. for a minute. that you did
business with the local merchants on
he same plan. Suppose that they did
not carry any goods In stock. that
when you wanted to buy something
you should so TO one OF your home
merchants. look In his catalogue and
)Ick out an article that seemed to be
similar to the one that you wanted.
iand over the price as shown by the
catalogue and tell him to order Il for
-ou. The merchant would take your
money and you would wait for your
foods until they arrived from a dis
ant city.
Not So Anxious.
But the people who make up any
are not nearly ss anxious
o furnish capital to the home ,'ar-
hant--the man who helps make" the
own-as they are to the mail l-ler
ian In the far distant city who does
othlng and cares nothing for the peo-
le who furnish him the money on
hitch to do business. They insist that
he home merchant shalt carry large
lock OF goods from which they can
elect what they wish. when they think
Is 10 their interest TO buy from him.
hey insist that he shall stand hack Of
Ne goods he sells and make good any
eject that may appear IN them They
isist that he shall sell them what they
ish and wait for the money until they
e ready 70 pay t. They insist tina,
2 shall Seli goods at the same prices
! lower prices than the mail order
,uScs charge FOR goods Of poorer quail
=. And finally. they insist that the
,me merchant shall furnish the large
Mount Of capital that is required to
'nduct a business On this plan.
The mail order buyer may say that
) has the right TO spend his money
lywhere he pleaSeS and he has. legal
But he probably has never stopped
reflect on the fact that he is supply
& the capital for the operation Of a
ncern which is In direct competition
tn enterprises In which he is directly
for every man. woman and
Hid IN town is directly Interested in
e success of the business enterprises
that town. II these business enter
Uses are not prosperous. the town !
mot be prosperous. To supply capt.
to your competitor is not very good
siasss,