El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-07-31
They're Here

Iney arrived ~ the carload this wee
and have been distributed among III
proIetafiat,
They eall attention 10 the fact tia
Santa Fe. like a good many .othe
towns In this state, furnishes III TIL
aggregate a iarge volume OF bushes
for the mail order houses. This bust
ness Is not confined to- the iltimat'
consumer. Mail orders tell II not Il
Gath+are also q weakness OF some o
cur leading merchants; much as the
object TO the practice prevailing il
connection with their own particula
line OF goods. This may elicit a roaI
Of protest but we all know con
ndentially that Il is 50.
There is no doubt that the mail or
Eaer houses take thousands 0f dollars
out OF this city annually which oughl
Ito remain IN local trade channels. How
lis this to be prevented
Merchants have met and vanquishef
the mail order business in man,
towns. They can do 1t In Santa Fo
Moreover, we believe that in a sin
oere and vigorous effort to do so they
viii have the cooperation of the buyer
and the effect on the general business
situation viii be beneficial.
Home merchants can meet mail or
der house prices TOR at least come sd
close to meeting them that the margin
will be one to which the loyal home
booster will not object. When this
margin climbs up to rs or so per cent
however. people are going to send
away for their stuff. 1t is human M
ture and you can't beat 1t.
Wouldn't it be a good idea for tho
Santa Fe storekeeper to invite his
patrons, through his advertising and
plaeards in his store Bring In your
mail order catalogue and let us figure
with you.p Very often the mail order
fiend, attracted by apparently much
lever prices, doesn't figure in the
shipment cost, We might as well be
frank about this mail order habit.
There's no use in several hundred citi.
zens all trying to keep it dark from
each other. Moreover, the f~rankness
should be mutual. Let the grocer who
is in the habit Of buying his furniture,
his wife's DRESSES and his door hinges
from Shekel, Whooper & Co.. take
his own little mail order book over to
the furniture man, the hardware man
and the dry goods emporium. let the
hardware man who orders his gro
ceries en- inasse By mail because he
saves SIS on b $40 order get together
With the grocer man. II the latter
thinks he can't quite meet the compe-
tition. 1t Will be worth his while 70
sacrifice a dollar or two to keep the
business at home. Similarly 1t will
help the lawyer to collect his bill II
he persuades his wife to pay an extra
dollar or two If necessary to do her
trading with the home merchant.
Compromise wins here as elsewhere,
The mar who loses 5000 a month IN
because OF the mail order house
could well afford to shave his profit q
trifle to keep TINT business and the
next months and the following
months business. The buyer on the
hand can we'll afford to pay q
small and reasonable tax, justified by
Of doing business, freight, etc, 70
the home merchant and keep
more money in circulation at home.
4Let him that is without sin cast
lie first stone"-and be sure you don't
i've in a glass house when you start
% tossing pebbles. There are few
louses in this mans town where a de-
.ective with a search warrant couldn't
ind a mail order catalogue. The rem
sdy for this condition lies In coopera
ion, honest cooperation, between
iealer and purchaser. Ii you are
.harging the cash buyer high prices
o cover the losses entailed by your
90 generous credit TO others and
won't meet the mail order hound half
way, you have nc kick coming. II you
lon't give your local merchant the
irst chance you have mo excuse for
out Of town. The mail order
lo0k offers everything on earth, right
il stock; il your home merchant
,asn't it In stock and is willing to
,rder 1t to beat outside competition,
yait a little and let him order 1t. III
10 has the right spirit, give him time
nd don't bubble over a few cents.
It's no use for the merchant to say
he mail order companies don't sell
God stuff. They do<-the best kind
i stuff. Neither does 1t get you any
where to roast the public for dis
JYdllY " lHC ItOAlO tQWh Wh1h yON - Il
use to figure with the mail order fan
nd merely get sore when he demon
trates that he Is saving SO per cent
II a certain article by using the post
ffice.
The New Mexican believes Santa Eel
lerchants are good enough business
aen and enterprising enough to beat
nv legitimate competition. They rec
ignixe the inroads the mail order
Iouses make on their business and
he money that is taken out Of town.
tut they can not blame the consumer
Intil they make an organized, honest
rank and sincere effort to meet the
lrices. We also believe that every
purchaser in Santa re would rather
Zeal at home, If he can get what he
wants and doesn't feel that he Is pay
ng too high q price for his public
Iirit.
The New Mexican wants to zee Al
rimp pnt in the mail order business
nd offers its columns for frank dis
nssion OF the matter by the mer-
hants and the public Lets thresh Il