Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1927-12-09
MILFORD, FRIDAY, DEC. 9, 1927.

IT is A POPULAR CUSTOM with
many persons in this and other ru-
raj sections of the states, to urge
the people to buy so far as possible
in their local home town places of
business, as an argument to boost
business for their immediate local
ity.
That kind of talk sounds well, but
is it the truth? Is it not local pro-
paganda that is quite misleading
and calculated to injure the future
of a community if carried out lit
orally?
Think over this subject just lit
tie bit, and you will get another
and entirely new angle on the ques-
ton. The hometown urge to buy,
is a very poor reliance for the bust
ness man to pin his hope for sue
cess on, unless much is done by the
merchant himself, to assist local
buyers of any town to patronize
their home business enterprises for
shopping. There are several things
the merchant has got to do, if the
rural trade is to be retained, in
these days of easy travel by auto
mobiles, for the home towns.
It is now absolutely necessary
for the merchants to create in
towns like Milford, opportunity for
shoppers to buy their holiday pres
ents and necessities with equal COM
fort and the same advantage, as
they get in the stores of great cities.
They must prove to those they
invite to their home town, and in
dividual stores, that they will have
the same opportunity to select,
look over and shop in ample store
floor space, where the goods can be
inspected before purchasing and
even demonstrated. There must be
displays in lavish forms, on floor
space ample to show the stock Of
fered the public. Then of course all
this must be told to the people
truthfully and in ample time for
them to see for themselves that they
are getting a square deal
It is too late for any town, or mer-
chant as an individual, at this late
day to provide the floor space re-
quired, or make the windows, in
which to show both by day and by
night, the styles, the kinds and quail
ity of the goods on display in the
store floor space behind the win
dows. That must be done before the
store opens for business.
Milford has in a measure made
provision for just this kind of abil-
ity to make window displays Of
goods, and the crowds Of women,
men and children standing before
these window displays prove them
to be worth all that is claimed for
them, as sales producers. The sales
persons, or clerks, are only the
means of completing sales to GUS
toners, who see the merchandise on
display as they pass through the
stores. The space to show goods,
in windows, in the stores and in
special displays are the real sales
men.
If merchants have provided these
means for selling goods, and then
told the public directly through
their newspapers, or some other
means of advertising, and have
priced their goods fairly with quail
fly as the basis, then they will have
no trouble to get the public to pa
tronize their home towns, not only
during the holiday seasons, but
during the entire year.
Candidly, the local publisher has
no just reason to ask the public
to patronize home town business,
unless that business has met the
needs and requirements of what the
people want, and in a way know
how they can get what they want.
At the holiday season everybody
wants what they want, when they
want it, and go where they can get
that kind Of service.
If the merchants will all start |
the new year of 1928 with the pur-
pose to meet the requirements of |
the present-day business methods, |
and first double, or even quadruple |
the floor space Of their stores, then |
place display windows at every
available point in the place of bust
ness, and then either learn how to |
trim windows themselves or jointly |
get together and employ a window
trimming artist to make such dis
plays for them, they will find their
sales more than doubling and their
net profits increased in proportion.
Advertising and window displays
are two Of the essentials for sue
cessful merchandising; but there
must be quality and modern goods
that the people want, before results
can be obtained. Without these, it
Is unfair to appeal to the public on
4 basis of pride in your home town.
It would be well to substitute for
he words buy at home" something
ike, when Merchants have pro-
,ided the store space, and the stocks
4 goods, and priced them fair, then