The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1922-03-03
DOES BuSINESSON
OTHER MANS CASH
Capital of the Mail Order House
Is Furnished by Its
Customers.
WORKS ALWAYS ON Velvet
Buyers Supply Money to Support En-
terprises Competing With Those
In Which They Are
Interested.
(Copyright.)

(Copyright.)
It is a mighty nice thing to be able
to do business on the other fellows
but there are few people who
can do 1t. Probably the only bust
ness men who, as a class, are able |
to do this, are the mail order men In |
the big cities.
Did you ever stop to think-you,
who have ordered goods from mail
order house and there are probably
few who have not done that at some
time or other-that you are supplying
the cash upon which the mail order
man Is doing business? You are well
aware of the fact that your cash must
go with your order If you expect to re-
ceive the goods, but have you ever
stopped to think what that means? Do
you realize that you are supplying the
capital for business which Is run
ming in direct competition with your
home merchants, upon whose prosper
ity you and your fellow townsmen are
dependent for a livelihood?
The majority of mail order houses
do not carry large stocks Of goods.
They do not have to. When the mail
order man gets your order, accom-
panied by the cash, Of course, he can
take part Of your money and go to
the manufacturer or the wholesaler
and buy the article that Is wanted. The
rest of the money he can put down In
his pocket after paying his operating
costs, which are light when compared
with those of the merchant who must
carry large stock Of goods to meet
the demands made upon him.
In Glass by Themselves.
There Is absolutely no other class of
men who do business on the capital
furnished by their customers. Even
the retail store which sells for cash
only cannot do this for he must carry
a large stock and in most cases must
pay cash for it in order to get prices
that will enable him to make lower
prices to his customers than can be
made by the merchant WHO gives credit
to his customers.
! The mail order man doesn't need t.
have any of his own capital invested
In his business-or any large amour
of it, at least, in proportion to the vol
ume of the business which he does. HI
does not have to pay interest to tn
banks on money borrowed to help hin
finance his business. The mail orde
man figures that about one-half of tn
amount he receives on any order goe
to the wholesaler or manufacturer Ii
payment for the goods ordered. o
the remainder a part goes for postage
printing, maintenance Of office ant
plant, insurance, etc. What is left
which is by no means an. insignifican
part of every dollar received, goes int
dividends to stockholders in the mai
order corporation. All this has bee
done without any capital other thai
that which may be required to pay OF
fee expenses.
Suppose, for minute, that you di
business with the local merchants o.
the same plan. Suppose that they di
not carry any goods in stock, tina
when you wanted to buy somethin
you should go to one Of your HON
merchants, look In his catalogue an
! pick out an article that seemed to b
similar to the one that yon wanted
J hand over the price as shown by tn
catalogue and tell him to order 1t 70
you. The merchant would take you
!. money and yeu would wait for you
!: goods until they arrived from a di'
! tant city.
, Not So Anxious.
But the people who make up an
community are not nearly as anxiot
to furnish capital to the home me
chant-the man who helps make" II
: town-as they are to the mail ord'
man in the far distant city, who do'
nothing and cares nothing for the pc
pie who furnish him the money {
which to do business. They insist tn
the home merchant shall carry lar,
stock of goods from which they CT
select what they wish, when they thir
It is to their interest to buy from hill
? They insist that he shall stand hack
? the goods he sells and make good al
b defect that may appear in them. TIL
. insist that he shall sell them what tn
Q wish and wait for the money until tn
o get ready to pay 1t. They insist tn
Q he shall sell goods at the same pric
t or lower prices than the mail ord
r houses charge for goods Of poorer gu
}, ity. And finally, they insist that t
t home merchant shall furnish the lar
:. amount of capital that Is required
i conduct business on this plan.
The mail order buyer may say tt
he has the right to spend his mon
= anywhere he pleases and he has, leg
. ly. But he probably has never stopp
a to reflect on the fact that he Is supp
= ing the capital for the operation OF
|. concern which is In direct competiti
= with enterprises In which he is direc
interested, for every man, woman a
- child in town is directly interested
" the success Of the business enterpril
In that town. If these business ept
=, prises are not prosperous, the to
" cannot be prosperous. To supply ca
. tai to your competitor Ia not very g