Imperial Valley press., 1925-02-03
THE HOUSE-T0-HOUsE PEDDLER

THE HOt SE-TO-HOCSE FEDDLER
1t IS high time that here in Ell Centro take
cognizance of very definite and growing evil in our
midst-the house-to-house peddIer The fly-by by-nght
agent who invades town, makes quick, thorough
canvass OF the community, folds his tent and fits
away to descend upon the next community, is getting
TO be altogether too common sight nowadays. There
are so many arguments against patronizng
these men and women that scarcely knows where to
begin.
In the first place it is not fair to our local mer-
chants. How long would our town endure if the meT
chants were to close up shop and move away? They
are stable fixtures paying large share of the taxes
playing their part in the upouildng the community
the very fiber Of our community life. They give
poyment to local men and and the money
thus expended for wages forms part of our civic
prosperity.
Another thing-they are here day in and day out
The housewife who patrOnizes the peddler would
soon to grief if she depend upon the lat
ter for day-to-day needs. She would wake up very
quickly to the paramount Importance of the merchant
if she were compelled to look to the house-o-house
agent to supply her daily wants.
Another thought for the one who delights in pat
rontlzmg haphazard solicitors sending away for his
cities every doller You spend in this fashion is gone
forever, far the town is concerned. It's sphere
of usefulness in the upbuidng of our city is at an end
when it is sent forth into the big world Paroniz-
ing home stores and places of business means keeping
that money at home, where it will be turned and
over put to work and made to produce
to the fullest its potential powers for pros
peTlty. II every man and woman who reads
this editorial could have seen the postoffice depart
ment around the holidays, as the writer saw it. heap-
ed high with mound of stuff that had been purchased
from outoftown sources by local residents, he would
have some little conception OF the dangerous extreme
TO which this practice may be carried.
It is not alone of the dollars and cents diverted
from their rlghtful channel that would speak,
but another very sinister angle present of which only
the merchant is fully and keenly aware. The volume
of trade which is actually diverted from the merchants
OF by the operation of housetO-houSe sales
men IS minor matter compared with the undermining
Of public confidence in the great merchant body, and
the spreading of false and malicious doctrine of
fair profit-aking the part of the retailer Local
merchants may be able to look upon the loss of trade
insignificant in itself but they disregard
injury 10 their good the mputaton that they
are set of 'hgh-binders' trying to extract undue
profit from the public.
In recent case which has just come to light
local merchants have definitely proved beyond doubt
that this extreme profit idea is base SANDER AGENTS
OF certain manufacturers secured large orders
throughout the town by deliberately misrepresenting
the quality OF their Chemical analysis has prov
en- that these garments not what they supposed
to be IN any sense OF the word and further that local
merchants are carrying the sort of garments in
identical quality at little less than half the price
these outot-toWn agents secured. Is it not time call
a halt when outsiders in and perpetrate such
impOsitions upon buying public?
And as last parting thought, remember that vou
have no redress when your purchases through agent
are unsatisfactory If the garment you ordered comes
through IN an inferior quality if for any reason YOU
seek an adj djustment you ply out of uck-thats
all It's case OF take it or leave it, the agent
has your money. Your merchant is right here on the
job ready to make any adjustments necessary and
ready and willing to serve YOU to the limit Of his
pacity
The next time you are tempted to listen to the
"siren song of the peddler, incline to the theory
that YOU are saving money by doing your purchasing
out Of town. stop and ponder well all these points
have cited, and YOU will probably realize the faacv of
sending your dollars out into big world to support
other towns and other individuals.