The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-02-24

The greatest asset to any merch-
can't is salesmanship through news
paper advertising, Fred P. Mann,
Devils Lake, N. D., merchant who
has gained nation wide prominence
because of his unusual success in
the retail business, told members
of the Rochester Commercial club
in an address following a dinner
there last night.
Basing his arguments on eX-
perience gained through the OPP
Grafton of Mann stores, and on the
tremendous sums paid by mail
order houses and chain stores
throughout the country annually
to obtain a large portion of trade
in the various cities and states.
Mr.. Mann pointed to the results
obtainable from extensive advertis-
ing and declared that the newspa-
per is the greatest medium by
which to secure increased sales.
"Unless we can inspire the in
dependent dealers, the majority OF
the business will be in the hands
of the chain Stores" the speaker
declared, adding, "They know how
to get the business. He pointed to
the large and continuous adver-
Using program carried out by the
chain stores, which he declared,
are gaining a foothold throughout
the country at the expense OF in
dependent store owners at an
alarming rate. "You can increase
your sales tremendously by putting
on big newspaper advertising pro-
grams. There is not business in
Rochester that could not greatly
increase it's annual Sales" he said.
Called to the presidency of the
North Dakota Merchants Retail as
ISOLATION. Mr.. Mann started on the
road to countrywide fame as a
successful business man and an adj
vocate of strong advertising in a
small city a thinly settled part of
the country when he attempted to
iron out the difficulties between
the retailers and the jobbers at
that time. He accepted the posi-
ton and began a course of inves-
tigation that lead him far into the
ills confronting the average mer-
chant and to a thorough under
standing of the methods employed
by mail order houses to secure
great share of the business in his
home state.
Mr.. Mann's tenacious pursuit
of causes for the failures of North
Dakota. retailers to do profitable
business was spurred On by
state wide debate in the schools on
the mail order business, he said.
Students obtained ample assis-
lance from the large mail order
houses in the form of speeches in
which retail merchants were charg-
ed with having shop worn goods
which were sold at from 20 per
cent to 40 per cent above the fl
cures asked and received by the
mail order firms.
"I began to investigate" Mr..
Mann said, "and began to probe
charges that we were overcharg-
ing. 1t was established that mail
order houses did S30,000,000
business in North Dakota in 1919
and they never paid a cent in
taxes, while the merchants had
paid out enormous sums to the
public upbuilding. The state tax
commissioner called this fact to
my attention and I said / would
Investigate. I asked Alexander
Carr how many carloads of mail
order catalogues came into North
Dakota in 1918 and he found out
that there were rs solid carloads
brought into the state during that
time. In addition there were thous-
ands of smaller catalogues mailed
out to North Dakota residents at
different periods of the year."
The Devils Lake merchant took
a survey of mercantile conditions
in i9D North Dakota towns, COW
erinx the kind of goods carried,
the kind of service offered, the
grade of craftsmanship employed,
conditions of displays, condition of
windows, information of insurance,
and the amount of advertising car
ried on. The result of the survey,
Mr.. Mann said showed why $780,
100000 worth of business had