Connecticut western news., 1922-11-09

1 place to put 1.-the local merchant. Some merchants will attempt to evade their share of the blame, but the evasion will not alter the truth of the matter. Let's make a brief analytical sketch or the situation:
 The mail order houses spend mil lions in designing and advertising attractive literature through the me dium of nationally read magazines and catalogues. 1t is their method Of replacing the costly house to house salesman and has proven to be wonderful money-maker. Through the attractiveness of de-. sign and convincing wording of these catalogues, men and women every where, with the utmost confidence and without being able to examine 1 the quality or texture of materials, will calmly send a money order for an amount that would put smile on the face of any focal business man that wouldn't wear off for week! The magazine advertisement brought the, catalogue and the catalogue brings the money-orders. For ever after that persons name is- on the mail order house mailing list and each year a new catalogue comes, which is reasonably certain to bring l more money orders in return.
 MT. Merchant will say about now that he is unable to compete with houses that buy a thousand dollars worth of goods where he buys one dollars worth. Very true, MT. Mer- chant. But consider the expenses of these mail order houses compared to yours and also consider the we'll known fact that most of these houses advertise a few leaders for the purpose of selling other merchan- disc.
 Here let us ask Mrs. Average Per son why she will pay $9.98 for waist which she has neither seen nor examined, plus the cost of the money order and indefinite delay before the waist arrives, when for. $10.25 she could personally examine waist at the local store and have it to wear the same day? And who. knows whether or not the waist will. be satisfactory after it arrives from the mail order house? Are the few. cents saved worth the risk? .
 
 A. Person with questions, for her share of the blame for letting all this money go out of town is compara- lively small. It is. .Messrs. Mer- chants themselves who can help keep the bulk of that $1O0,00O at home where-7if belongs. There are many methods he may pursue in doing it, [ but the root of them all is adevrtis- lpg. He, must let the people know what he has to sell and at what price. The next step is service And by that we mean an attentive, oblig- ing servJce that will put ever the. mail order catalogues to shane as vulgar insinuations. To further keep the cost of his goods down, he must regulate charge accounts to such an extent as will mean a mini r.um loss and educate his customers to the fact that it costs money to keep accounts open for long peri ods. .. '-y ~. t-- Z To deviate from the simple. task of giving advice, let us ask, what merchant would not feel well-satis- fled with just the business that goes out of town? At first glance it seems we'll nigh impossible, but if our merchants and the people knew how they. are fooling themselves, it appears ridiculous. Our personal knowledge of several transactions with mail order houses, is a parallel to the story of the business mans wife who bought some rugs for $2.25 each. When told of it he stated that he sold the same thing for $2.00, to which his wife replied: ''How did I know; you don't adver- tise, John." ....
 That $1OO,OOO can be reduced by three-fourths. It rightfully should remain in the town and there is not business man but can use his share of it. Let's all do our share in try ing to keep it here that our children may point, with pride to our large and prosperous business blocks and stores. Uncle Sam don't need the money half as much as we do nei- ther do the mail order house. ~
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