The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-04-01
YOU CANNOT KILL THE
AUTOMOBILE, so TRY TO
STOP IT in YOUR TOWN

Present-day merchandising is auite
a different problem to what it was
twenty or even ten years ago. First,
competition is no longer local. As a
fact, local cooperation to offset out
side attack is almost necessity.
Good roads, which have meant so
much to trade development have put
the farmer in closer touch with the
nearest big town, and the development
Of the automobile has helped. The
result is many farmers ride through
the towns nearest their farms to the
larger towns fifteen, twenty and even
| fifty miles away and there do their
shopping.
The merchant not only must meet
this competition but he must meet
even more serious competition from
outside. The automobile, the fast
express train, the parcel post and the
printed catalogue are all lined up
against the crossroads" merchant,
land unless he senses these facts and
actually moves tc combat them his
business is bound to remain q hand1
Ito-mouth existence. His success clear
liy is in danger unless he adopts bet
liter methods in buying, better display
ing, Of goods. better selling advertis'
ling, better craftsmanship and improv'
Yes his keeping of business records.
| A close investigation of forty towns
lin the east, supposed by some persons
to be most progressive in merchandis'
ing, discloses a deplorable lack o.
business understanding. Merchant!
are too close to the picture. They
can see broadly the fundamentals o.
the trouble, but each believes his par
sicular store would not be affected b!
any change it is possible for him t.
bring about. He is sold on direct ac
| ton. He fails to see the link between
his store and general town improve
ment. His eye is fixed on his indi
yidual cash drawer, and he does no
| concern himself in conditions tina
have for some time been depicting tn
cash drawer.
Basically, the farm is the hub o
merchandising prosperity. The younI
men and women are attracted to tn
cities because of the "life' the cite
afford, and not because they can max
better living in the cities. The de
mand for social activity is natur
laI impulse that cannot be set aside
1T must be met. Rural life is dull i
many parts of the country 1t is IN
interesting. A new craving for lily
liier contactwi humanity is nantes
and It can no longer be met by
nightly gathering at the postoffice
a trip to the station to seeqthettfain
pass through the own. 9btat1'
Hundreds of towns have got int5
rut. They provide no amusement, \
inspiration. They fail to functio
properly. The talking machine an
the telephone helped great deal, b'
they served to whet the appetite, nj
to satisfy it. Had it not been for u
motion picture the situation wouid
} much worse today than it is. AS
fact the motion picture theatre is OF
IOf the most important factors in Il
development of small town tradin
and everything possible should
done to help the local picture man
e success and to the development OF
: higher standard Of program.
After all, town is simply CO
Election Of people. They win re'ia
together as long as life together
more agreeable and more Iprofitab
: THAN it is elsewhere and no longer.
Half of the small town activiti
: Iiconsistgof trading, The other ha
$ comprises churches, schools. recre
ltion. legal. affairs, ioutdoor sp,r'
heath, And 50 oK.sb TAfs Being 50, t
Imerchants bold in their ,h be- the X \
: to thesituatioha IL 80 per cent Of :
! ltown shetivities-- trading -be up, Y
lstansiafal the rest Of the activities v
care ef themselves,
w Perhaps noe enoVgA attention