Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-10-11
CAMOUFLAGE ON
CITY MERCHANDISE
Home Town Merchants Not Required
to Pay High Advertising Prices
and Staggering Overhead
PAYING CITY STYLE

eASC III Jul peace tlIllc PURSUITS. We
refer here to the so-called bargain"
of the city merchant, advertised for
the benefit of the little town shopper.
behind which thecity merchant screens
his true purposes. 1t is not his real
aim to sell the man or the woman from
the country bill of goods at less cost
than that same bill can be bought at
the formers home town merchant; his
ann is to use the specially priced arti-
Giles as bait, and then sell him other
goods-once he has the visitor in the
store-at such prices as will yield suf-
nclent profit not only to cover the lat
ter but to bring good return also on
the under-prieed article.
1t cannot be denied that in many
cases this leader" is cheaper than the
same article can be bought for in the
home town store. And the city mer-
chant, IN arguing with { e country
shopper, makes much of this point.
But do not let that mislead Won. II
you will give the matter a little thot.
You will find that in rare instances il
it staple article that is thus under-
priced, and even if it were the situa-
ton would not be greatly changed. In
the end, you pay well for it just tha
same. The Viroqua merchant will be
the first to admit that he cannot meet
the price at which such bargains"
are offered and still make the reason
able profit to which he is entitled by
his investment. But bring your re-
ceipted bills to him after your return
from the city shopping-expedition and
he will show you how he could have
saved you money by striking an aver
age of more reasonable prices all the
way down your list.
HELPING OTHER MERCHANTS
Bargains are often called the mir
acle-makers of business, for they bring
trade where there was no trade before
This were true miracle indeed, in a
dull season; but like many of our mod
ern miracles, they are Big City hoaxes.
Inc victim Is the man from the little
town who buys in the city and helps
the city merchant pay for his heavy
overhead.
Your hometown merchants do not
resort to methods of this kind. BUSH
ness with them is based on the sound
economic principle of supply and de-
mand. You buy goods only when YOU
need them, so that when you do buy,
what you buy fills a want for you.
That is true merchandising service.
In that way, and in no other way, do
you get the full value for your money.
Bargains" thus become a stimulent in
business that is sure to be succeeded
by reaction, and the healthy business
life Of town like Viroqua wants none
of It.
In the city this method Of carrying
on business is possible for a consider
able time because there are so many
gullible buyers who are taken in by
the alleged saving thus effected. When
this inflated manner of merchandising
gets nito nations system to any con-
siderable extent we have a disturbed
market, followed by trade congestion,
with the result that we suddenly wake
up to find ourselves in the midst of a
financial panic
PAYING FOR CITY STYLE
In the preceding article we empha-
sized the heavy overhead that the city
merchant has to meet. If YOU remem-
Der that you have to pay your share
of this total of his fixed charges every
time you visit his establishment, all
will be we'll with you, for you will COM
pare his range Of prices with those OF
your hometown merchant and you
will buy only those few things that ara
under-priced--if you buy at all. De-
sirable business locations double and
triple nj value because Of the compe-
tition for their possession. High val
ne means high taxes. The downtown
congestion means greater fire hazard.
with the resultant increase in insur-
ance. You help to pay for the style
and pomp displayed, and for the en-
ployment of many superhuous clerks
and attendants-which in no sense add
to the value Of your goods.
Even more, however, IL the country
buyer singled out by the city maiI-or-
der house This kind Of buying il
what the boy with the broken-bladed
Jaeknife, in an effort to awaken our
craftsmanship. so that he can foist
his useless article upon us, calls, Fun
sight-unseen." We have all beer
"stung" in that way.
UNCLE SAM AS SALESMAN
i csc mail-order establishments
have no salesman at all. They make
use Of Uncle Sans postman. Profits
are enormous. You buy on faith, and
you pay the penalty. What can YOU
tell about certain grade Of wooIens
for a suit unless you can feel them
between your fingers? Or about a
certain brand of tea bearing a num-
Der or letter? Each such concern has
its own private brands, and there is no
Standardization so that you can tell
in advance what you are buying.
When the goods arrive, you find they
are of poorer grade than you had
reason to expect from the price, but
by that time you have paid money
order fees, postage and transportation
charges as well as having lost consid-
cradle time waiting for the shipment
to arrive. and there is nothing for you
to do but make the best Of it.
These losses and disappointments
you spare yourself when you visit
your hometown store, pick what you
want and pay reasonable price for it,
free of the big city overhead.
THIS is FIREPREVENTION WEEK
IL any proof of the need of observ-
ing Fire Prevention Week is required,
it resides in the most recent estimate
by the Actuarial Bureau of last years
contribution to the national ash heap
100000. Only once in the 156
years of this republic has this stipend
Gus figure been exceeded, and that was
In 1905, the year of the SanFrancisco
T he present burning
rate Of 1923 a minute constitutes one
OF the heaviest drags on our economic
progress. If il is allowed to continue
1T that appalling pace the country will,
as time goes on, find itself seriously
neara lea. rxsx1 Il.