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Show MAIL-ORDER WAYS K BAD ADVERTISEMENT FOR CATALOGUE HOUSES. AT SCHOOL OF EXPERIENCE Sooner or Later It Teaches Every Malt Order Patron the Error of Sending Hla Money from Home. The methods of the mail-order houses aro their worst advertisement. Sooner or later there will come a time In the experience of every purchaser of their goods when he will wish "ho hadn't done It," when ho will wish he had spent his money with his home merchants. This Is not only becauso he will sec tho ruin wrought In his own community by tho nefarious practice prac-tice of sending the money of the community com-munity to the city, but also because of tho practices of the mall order con-corns. con-corns. The story in the catalogue sounds woll. It sounds llko you would get the Identical thing you wanted and at a much lower price than you had Imagined Im-agined It could bo bought for, and you ordor It. Tho purchase arrives and when opened you feel that some mis-tako mis-tako has been made, that the concern has sent you the wrong goods; It Is not what you ordered. Ah, but It Is! Tho difference Is between be-tween tho way It actually looks and the way It sounds in tho catalogue. You explain that tho goods you received re-ceived Is not what you ordered and ask for an accounting, and are told that It Is you that Is In orror, that you got just what you ordered, and then If you are wlso you buy of the The one sure method of curbing the mall-order giant Is to bind him with the thongs of home patronage. Are you helping In this work7 Are you spending your money at home and helping your town to grow, or are you sending It to the city to swell the fortunes of the mall-order man? homo morchant next time, and know what you get when you pass ovor the monoy for It. Ho may not bo ablo to sell you what you thought you were buying from tho mail-order houso at tho cataloguo prlco, but he can sell you, if he has It, tho Bame goods you get from tho mall-order houses at an oqual or less prlco than they ask for It, and what Is more, he can sell you what you really want at as reasonablo a prlco as you can got It for elsewhere else-where The following letter, written by a Michigan farmer, 'explains in a clear and unmistakable way tho danger of buying of mall-order concerns. It was addressed to one of the largest of this class of institution In this country: Baldwin, Mich., Jan. 12, 1907. Gentlemen: I have your favor of recent date, and also your catalogues and accompanying accom-panying circulars offering premiums for distribution of tho same among my friends. I havo no doubt that, as you say, I will thereby confer a great favor fa-vor upon you, but I am compelled to take Issue with you on the statement that I will also confor a favor upon my friends. In my dealings with you, oxtondlng over somo time past, I have received no favors from you I paid for all I got, and the length of tlmo I traded with you, Instead of establishing frlondly relations and gaining me additional ad-ditional favor as It would in a homo storo, gavo you tho opinion that, un-llko un-llko a now customer, to whom you glvo your vory best, so they will como again, I was a steady comer and any old thing would do for mo. Our last deal opened my eyes and convinced me of your policy. Your catalogues ofTcr somo apparently great bargains. Hut lot us draw up our chairs and seo If thero aro not a fow things vory essential to tho rural citizen citi-zen that nro not montlonod within its voluminous bulk. For Instnnco, thoro Is no reforenco to paying cash or exchanging goods for wheat, oats, corn, beans, buttor, , eggs and hay. How much will you pay for cnttle, sheep and hogs, f. o. b at Baldwin? How much will you pay to support tho Lako county schools and oducato our children? How much for Improving Improv-ing our roads and bridges? For supporting sup-porting tho poor? For tho general public expense? On what pago do you ofror to contribute con-tribute money to tho support of our churches? What line of credit will you extend to mo when my money Is low becnuso of sIcknosB, or poor crops? What do you provldo In tho way of entortalu-ment entortalu-ment for tho public and In the way of providing those things that make u town desirable and thus keep up tho value of my property? As a matter of fact, do you do any thing to holp locally, or do you merely I take tho monoy out of a community, returning nothing whatovor, beyond the valuo of tho goodb bought? Think-1 Luc it over carefully, I believe U te better to call upon our local dealer and look over his stock whero wo can see the goods before buying. There are then no errors In change or refunds re-funds to bo haggled over across a 300-mile- stretch. Yes, It Is better to trade at homo. Our homo merchant's guarantee upon an article means something, as ho wants our good will. Keeping the money at home benefits homo industries indus-tries and thus. Indirectly, us, We cannot can-not expect to (tell our, products to the local merchant nnd do our trading In Chicago. It Is all one-sided and somo tlmo we would have no local merchant to do our buying. Catalogue houses, I have found from bitter experiences, are tricky. If those who are dealing with them will watch their purchases, they will find It so sooner or later. Our last deal, had It occurred here at home, would havo been straightened out In Ave minutes and without feeling, but with you It takes me all winter to get my money back when the goods are not satisfactory, satisfac-tory, and even then 1 get only a credit card which Is lost through studied carelessness upon the part of someone in your concern so that I have nothing noth-ing to show for my claim. Every man should trade at home if conditions admit of purchasing a good article at reasonable prices. If not, then ho had better trade at the next town or city that his money may go to build up the country around him. Ho sends It to Chicago that It may go Into profits of some big mall-order house until there Is enough sucker money to build and endow some great charttablo Institution as a monument to tho greatness of the mail-order man and the gulllbleness of tho easy public. pub-lic. I have already asked that you adjust the matter of our last deal. I want my money returned without further dickering and unless I got It I shall cortalnly get Its equivalent In advertising adver-tising you nnd your methods among tho peoplo of Lako county. Awaiting your reply, I nm, Yours truly, ' CARL SCHULTZ. Wolf Lako, Michigan. P. O. Baldwin, Mich. Can you, Mr. Purchaser, not profit by tho experience of others and turn your money Into home, channels by trading with home merchants where you will get a dollar's worth for a dollar, dol-lar, or must you follow tho mall-order man's lead to trouble for yoursolt and destruction for your community? Do not wait for that evil day when you have learned wisdom In tho expenstvo school of personal experience, but profit by that purchased by others. You will find It far cheaper and more satisfactory In tho end. |
