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Show I HE'S HERE TO STAY. Shallow, so-called economists, said a few years ago: "The small, Individual Indivi-dual merchant Is doomed. He cannot compete t'galnst the great department itore." A lltle later some of the same men said: "Tho small. Indirldual merchant will sooa. h driren out of huamess. He cannot compete agahwt the chain store, and the maU order houeei'-" And n-cently aomo of the samej crowd d'Clared: "He will soon ba a thing of the past, for he does not glre the sufficient consideration to the manufacturer's new goods, and does not deroto enough individual sales effort ef-fort to the distribution of certain commodltiej. Tho bouae-to-house salesman, who really devotes hfc efforts ef-forts to sclli. g the manufacturer's goods, will cut out too big a slice of his profits. " But look up and down th streets of our city or any mnaJl city like It Does it look ns though the Individual, merchant Is golr5 out of wdsteaee? Doesn't hw eee-m to meet, and pretty successfully too. the competition" of big city Btorej, mail ordwr houses, ('alii stores, ad house.to-bouse peddlers? pedd-lers? If you look at facts clearly, vour answer must U, "yes." For all of these vlf appoint?d mer-chandfcting mer-chandfcting experts have overlooked one, extremely important factor. Th- Individual merchant who is alive and on his toes, gives to his customers a degree of iwrsonul service that no otVr merchandising system affords. He is here to stay beouuse he serves the needs of bit customers, because he promotes the best interests of ills community, and because people can securp through him weU known, quality qual-ity merchandise, backed by his guar, ante", at lower price than they pay through any other known agency. ' People continue to support the local lo-cal merchant, not alone because of loyalty to the community, but because tlxy know they are serving themselves them-selves best by so doing. |