Show II HOME TOWN BUILDING I Follo Following ing is a continuation of the letter which appeared in our issue of two weeks ago I want to emphasize this thought The home town merchant must mut meet city competition with the mans man's plan of getting the business How do dothe dothe dothe the big stores in the city attract buyers buyers buyers buy buy- ers How do the catalogue houses get gee the business I can almost in fancy hear the hardware hard hard- hardware ware ware dealer or or the general store storekeeper storekeeper storekeeper keeper start in with four forty reasons reas reas- ons but ons-but but there is s really just one good reason The other three forty-three are are imaginary The real I secret ecret is tact tact and enterprise The city men and the town merchants are a e fishing in inthe inthe inthe the same water but the former know how to bait the hook and as a result the fish grab it are strung on a string and hung over the side of the boat before they know what has happened In the meantime the country merchant merchant merchant mer mer- chant who has a pre-emption pre on the pond is patiently waiting for a nibble The order-catching order catalog from the merchant in the city starts off oft with a dazzling array of bargain counter counter counter coun coun- ter utility items in hardware There are nice pictures of tools which farmer every mechanic and country town to boy has daily use for These items include everything from wire at atlo lo 10 per spool to hinges s locks hammers hammers hammers ham ham- mers and saws at tic to and so soon soon soon on up to fancy tool chests the mere look of which will in tn connection with the price put the average farmers farmer's boy in dreamland Then comes the department for the women folks Everything thing they have hav use for is before them at a bargain price All grades ire are quoted from from the cheapest to the best Then there is the guarantee in big letters II If If for any reason you want to o return the goods and get your money back you youcan youcan youcan can do so and we will pay the freight both ways What man boy or woman can escape that offer ofer The result i is the order goes out by the next mail just as sure as daylight fol follows follows fbI fol- lows the sun and the home town merchant has lost just that much profit and the town has lost just jUt that tha much money needed to build up home industry But that's an up up date te way of doing doing doing do do- ing business It gets the order Now contrast it with the methods of the hardware dealer in a country town who keeps his small tools tools' and incidentals incidentals incidentals inci inci- dentals out of sight where there is but little chance for them to attract the attention of the farmer or his is son eon There may maybe be some fine tools of the tha better grades displayed in the window or showcase but the prices are usually hidden away away so as as' as asto to compel the would would-be l-ba l customer to ask for w what at he wants As a usual thing i he does not nota ask k under the mistaken belief that it i is more than he can afI afford af af- af- af I ford to pay The he result is js buyers buyer I come to the stores only When au an I emergency compels them to or when they have no money and want to buy on cre credit it By the way I notice that Ephraim is conducting a Clean up up Paint-up campaign It would seem that your p paint int dealers are missing a fine opportunity opportunity op op- by not advertising some special bargains in paints and paint paintbrushes paintbrushes paintbrushes brushes Surely they could do much for the benefit of the comm community and themselves by promoting the sale of their goods during the campaign How many wany country merchants ask themselves this question Can I sell sellas as cheap as the catalog houses if considered I have talked with many country town storekeepers and they invariably ably answer yes to this question and claim they do sell as cheap but they cannot convince the the farmers of that fact Here is another qu question stion Cannot the home town merchant afford to sell on a closer margin of profit if he turns turus his stock over more frequently and watches his credits more closely Now then Mr Country Town Merchant Mer Merchant chant if you can do all of these then you are missing a golden opportunity opportunity opportunity if you yuu dont don't make a order mail-order catalog out of your home town news news- paper Try it Make a list of items which you have in stock and which you are willing willingto to sell on a very close margin of profit Make leaders of teem Describe them briefly and quote the price in plain figures Continue Continue Con Con- the advertising campaign and you wi observe that you are getting that that trade which h is now drift drift- drifting ing id ng to the city This article will wiil be continued next week at which time the writer will have something to say of the assistance assists assist ance ante which can be rendered by bankers bank bank- ers doctors and other professional men men to the cause of Home Town Building |