Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1925-10-16
CITIES cAMoUFLAGE
ON MERCHANDISE
CONTINUED from page one)

Continued from page one)
your receipted bills to him after your
return from the city shopping ex,
petition, and he will show you how
he could have saved you money by
striking an average of more reason
able prices all the way down your
list.
Bargains are often called the
miracle-makers Of business, for they
bring trade where there was no trade
before This were true miracle in
deed, in a dull season; but like many
Of our modern miracles, 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. Bus
mess with them is based on the
sound economic principle of supply
and demand. You buy goods only
WhNh you heSu tu6uis 81 ludl WHEN
you do buy what you buy fills a
want for you That is true mer-
ehandising service In that way,
and in no other way, do you get the
full value for your money. Bar
gains" thus become a stimulant in
business that is sure to be succeeded
by a reaction. and the healthy bust
ness life of a town like Mountain
Home wants none of it.
In the city this method of carrying
on business is possible for a consid-
cradle time because there are so
many gullible buyers who are taken
in by the alleged saving thus eff
feoted. When this inflated manner
of merchandising gets into nations
system to any considerable extent we
have disturbed market, followed by I
trade congestion, WITH the result that
we suddenly wake up to find our
selves in the midst of financial pam
ic.
In the preceding article we empha
sized the heavy overhead that the
city merchant has to meet. If you
that you have to pay your
share of this total of his fixed
charges every time you visit his es-
all will be we'll 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 I'M
ier-priced-if you buy at all. De- !
iirable business locations double and
ripple in value because of the COM
petition for their possession. High
Talue means high taxes. The down
own congestion means greater fire
hazard, with the resultant increase
n insurance You help to pay for
he style and pomp displayed, and
or the employment of many super
Iuous clerks and attendants which
n no sense add to the value of your
GODS.
Even more, however, is the coun-
ry buyer singled out by the city
lail order house. This kind of buy
ne is what the boy with the broken E
laded jaekknife, in an effort to
waken our craftsmanship, so that Z
ecan foist his useles article upon 4
S, calls ''unsight-unseen." We have
Il been "stung" in that way. B
The mail order establishments i
ave no salesman at all. They make &
Sc of Uncle Sans postman. Profits 8
re enormous. You buy on faith, \
nd you pay the penalty What can Z
1u tell about a certain grade of &
oolens for a suit unless you can s
eel them between your fingers? Or &
bout a certain brand of tea bear 9
g a number or letter? Each such s.
,ncern has its own private brands, g
Id there is no standardization so Il
lat you can tell in advance what &
VI are buying. When the goods ar @
We. you will find they are of a poor 81
= grade than you had reason to ex- r
,ct from the price, but by that time b
u have paid money order fees, &
stage and transportation charges, e
well as having lost considerable IS
ne waiting for the shipment to ar
We, and there is nothing for you to e
but make the best of it.
These losses and disappointments s.
u spare yourself when you visit 81
ur home town store pick what you 81
int and pay a reasonable price for N
free of the big city overhead.
IRM MOVING OUT OF SHADOW