, 1925-10-14
CAMOUFLAGED"
MERCHANDISE
Home Town Merchants not Required
to Pay High Advertising Prices
and Staggering Overhead
Paying City Style

pressive words handed down to us
by the war, but ii exactly fits a
similar practice in our peace-time
pursuits. We refer to the so-calfled
bargain" of the cit ymerchant. adj
vertised for the benefit of the little
town shopper, behind which the
city merchant screens his true pur-
poses. 1t is not his real aim to
sell the man or woman from the
country a bill of goods at less cost
than that same bill can be bought
from the formers home town mer-
chant; his aim is to use the spe-
cially priced articles as a bait, and
then sell him other goods-once
he has the visitor. in the store-at
such prices as will yield sufficient
profit not only to cover the latter,
but to bring a good return also on
the under-priced 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 merchant, in arguing with the
country shopper, makes much of
this point. But do not let him mis-
lead o If you will give the mat
ter a little thought you will find
that in rare instances is it a staple
article that is thus under priced,
and even if it were the situation
would not be greatly changed. In
the end, o pay well for it just
the same. The Cody merchant will
be the first to admit that he cannot
meet the price at which such bar
gains are offered and still make the
reasonable profit to which he is en-
titled by his investment. But bring
your receipted bills to him after
eXpidition. and he will show you
how he could have saved you mon
ey by striking an average of more
reasonable prices all the way down
your list.
Helping Other Merchants
Bargains" are often called the
miracle-makers of business, for they
bring trade where there was no
trade before. This were a true
miracle, indeed, in a dull season;
but like many of our modern mir
acles, they are big city hoaxes. The
victim is the man from the little
town who buys in the city and
helps the city merchants pay for his
heavy overhead.
Your home town merchants do
not resort to methods of this kind.
Business with them is based on
sound economic principle of supply
and demand. You buy goods only
when you eed them, SO that when
you buy, what you buy fills a want
for you. That is rue merchandise
ing service. In hat way, and in no
other way, do you get the full value
for your money. Bargains thus
become a stimulant in business thai
is sure to be succeeded by a reac-
ton, and the healthy business life
of a town like Cody wants none of
it.
In the city this method of carry
ing on business is possible for a
considerable 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 into a ma
tons system to any considerable
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 en-
phasized the heavy overhead that
the city merchant has to meet. If
you remember hat you have to pay
your share of this total of his fixed
charges every time you visit his
establishment, all will be well with
you, for you will compare his range
of prices with those of your home
town merchant and you will buy
only those few things that are un-
der-priced-if you buy at all. De-
sirable business locations double and
triple in value because of the COM
petition for their possession. High
value means high taxes. The
downtown congestion means greater
fire hazard, with the result of in
creased insurance. You help to pay
for the style and pomp displayed,
and for the employment of many
superluous clersk and attendants
which in no sense add to the value
of your goods.
Even more, however, is the coun-
try buyer singled out by the city
mail order house. This kind of
buying is what the boy with the
broken bladed .jackknife. in an eff
fort to awaken our sportsmanship.
so hat he can foist his useless ar
ticle upon us, calls 'unsight-unseen.'
We have all been "stung'' in that
way.
Uncle Sam ms Salesman
The mail order establishments