Gunnison news-champion., 1923-05-25
The Ranehuoman
Says
She speaks her mind on many
things- She will have some
thing interesting to say from
week to week

banks have had clearing houses; then
the business men organized and every
town Of note possesses q business
mems clearing house, while other or
CARNATIONS have methods of business
clearance.
The plan is one of the best for sift-
ing the wheat from the chaff and it's
worth while as n recommendation il
certain papers or business transactions
pass thru the clearing house without
being halted.
Why don't the ranchwomen have a
clearing house, say for instance Just
to get clearing on that important
feature of farm life, the mail order
business. As nine-tenths of the mail
ordering for the home is done by the
women, II seems they should effective
ly organize.
! II all the griefs that fall to the
lot Of rancher could be recorded, no
doubt the unsatisfactory experience
resulting from shopping by mail
would take precedence-in the ranch
woman's domain at any rate.
Courtesy is wonderful thing. II
is SO easy to be polite. There are
business firms who always give the
customer the benefit of an incompletei
sale believing il better to risk few
dollars rather than risk putting the
purchaser to an inconvenience.
And then there are those who would
not risk the loss of even few pennies
on small order.
Quite a number of US went up to the
Double G ranch the other day to help
cook and wait on the extra men who
had come for the day to help with
the branding and dehorning. Over
the kettles of beans and mashed pota-
toes we took turns in airing our mail
order experiences.
We all decided there was entirely
too much patience shown with firms
who advertise for mail orders, then
put the customer to many inconveni-
ences before they will ship the goods.
The firms who advertise: "All
discussed and several named where
orders had been sent, and the custom
er notified that the charges could not
be prepaid unless the order ran over
ten dollars. One ranchwoman had
an order held up several weeks be-
cause of this system, and she had to
pay an additional fifty cents for trans
portation from this store to the freight
depot.
Another order discussed was one
which had been sent to a firm doing
a mail order business and contained
rather lengthy list Of small items in
addition to goods running into larger
figures. In adding the column slight
mistake was made in the total and a
check drawn for thirty cents less than
the proper amount. Did the sales
manager stop to consider the incon-
veniences q delay might occasion If
several items should be omitted from
the lady's order? Not at all. All he
visualized was the thirty cents that
should have been included in the check.
He took out the items he thought best,
sent the rest, and spent two cents for
stamp to send a letter explaining
why these articles amounting to thirty
cents could not be sent; very kind
ly(?) suggested that it would give
great pleasure to send them immedi-
ately upon receipt of said thirty cents.
Has the money been sent Well, not
to this firm. Instead, the order and
an addition Of q much larger list
than the original has been sent to an
other firm q really big concern where
courtesy is the motto and where the
customer is always given first consid-
GRAFTON. This firm has been known to
send goods amounting to considerably
more than the amount Of money en-
closed rather than risk discommoding |
q customer.
Another firm conducting an admir- |
able mail business, spent two cents to
return q one cent balance to one OF
the ranchw0men present.
To repeat: Courtesy is such little
thing. II any one appreciates being
accommodated it Is the ranchers who
live somewhat isolated from the busi-
ness world and often score of miles
from shopping center. During part
of the year there is no possible way
to obtain supplies except thru q mail
order service.
A clearing house wherein names Of
firms doing mail order business
could be listed and investigated would
be q boon to the country shoppers.
When q firm will duplicate an order
of fifteen dollars worth Of sugar, rice,
coffee and beans, because the cartons
broke and the contents found thoroly
mixed on arrival, and will replace the
order without even asking questions,
taking the stand that many big firms
do-the customer is always right-this
firm should be widely patronized. In
contrast to this experience, . woman
told Of having half . barrel Of vinegar
shipped to her nearest station and
when the shipment came nearly all
the vinegar was missing. She i'm
mediateiy reported 4. Was the order
duplicated? Not ct al. Instead the
manager wrote . very abrupt letter
saying he wouldn't replace the order
under any circumstances; further be-
didn't like to ship vinegar any way.
Ranchwomen also report = number
of firms begging for business and In