Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-12-22
What WOULD
become OF
OUR Community
IF WE ALL BUY OUT OF TOWN

If l buy out of my home town
and you buy out of your home town
what is going to become of our home
towns?
A child could answer this question
| tbs SO obvious.
Our home towns will just naturally
hit slump that can have no ending
but FAILURE. Failure for the towns
means failure for you and me-for
the success of the individual is CO.
incident with the success of the town
| in which he lives. Proof of this is
not necessary. 1t is as plain as fate
to one who will but analyze the sit
| uation.
And, men and women, why do you
persist in buying out of town when
your hometown merchandise least
most of them-not only handle good
merchandise at right prices, but con-
tribute in hundred and one other
ways to your we'll being?
If you go out of town for your pur-
chases, we charge you with base in
gratitude, because your hometown
merchants have been responsible for
the creation and up-keep of number
of institutions in your home town of
which we know you are proud. They
have helped to build your schoolhous-
es, your churches, your public librar-
les, your public Fairgrounds and the
parks, your boulevards and public
buildings. From all these home town
improvements you receive a direct
and decided benefit. Your merchants
pay heavy taxes; they contribute
generously and freely TO every move
ment that is designed to promote the
public welfare, which means your
personal welfare.
If you go out of town for your pur-
chases we charge you with deceiving
yourself into thinking that you are
saving penny here and penny
there, when in reality you are not.
If you do your buying from a cat
alog we charge you with being a poor
merchandiser. Just think of ordering
anything from picture and paying
your good money before you ever see
the goods. 1t is just the same as tho
you were to order your groceries and
meats over the telephone from a COM
bination butcher and grocer who had
just moved into your neighborhood-
an individual about whom neither you
nor your neighbors know anything.
Would you do anything like this in
the merchandising line? Of course
not, you say. Why, then, take SIM
liar chance with out-of-town mer-
chants who assume no responsibility
when they send whatever strikes their
fancy?
If you do your buying from out-of-
town institutions, we charge you with
serious lack of foresight. Don't
you know that if you and your neigh
Dor and sufficient number of people
in your town buy from the mail-or-
der houses in any quantities and for
any length of time, your hometown
merchants will eventually be COM
PEELED to go out of business and then
what will happen?
They will all move to other towns
where they are more loyalty patron
lied by the home folks. Property val
ues in your town will depreciate Tin
Guiding your property, if you have
any, there will be no attractions in
the town for outside capital, no new
business will be started, public I'M
provements will be at standstill.
and before you know it, your town
win be disintegrating and going to
pot before your eyes. Your children
will be going to rundown schools,
your parks will be neglected, your
streets and boulevards will be but
shadows of your former beauty, your
churches will have no charms for the
kind of ministers that you were for
merly proud to count among your
pastors,-your very job and livel-
hood will be jeopardized.
And what is more, good people your
hometown merchants have your ev-
cry interest at heart, because they
must please you in order to succeed.
They cannot afford to overcharge you;
they cannot afford to mislead you as
to the quality &C merchandise offered;
they cannot afford to render you poor
service or treat you discourteously
| If some few of them are not playing
the game square, open and above
board, it is your duty to tell them
plainly that you will not tolerate
their actions. If such is the case
seek out those merchants who are
deserving of UoI1r nafrouaoe and ,,oei