Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-05
City /" shoppers"

Every one connected with dry goods
establishment knows them. They come
sailing into a store with an air well calcu-
lated TO convey the impression that their
resources are unlimited and that the pur-
chases they make will require a special
conveyance for delivery. IL is only the
Impractical eye, however, which Is de-
ceived by them. The advent of one of
them is a source of misery TO the clerk I'M
fortunate enough to be singled out as a
victim. He knows that the department
over which he presides will in few mo-
ments be "A scene of confusion that article
after article will have TO be displayed, ex-
amined and commented upon; thathe will
have to submit to an ordeal Of Cross-cx-
animation equal TO any inflicted upon a
prisoner AT the bar of justice, and that he
is debarred the privilege of which prison
ers often avail themselves of making
sharp or pertinent retorts, He must be
all smiles and attention TO woman whom
he intuitively knows--if he has not
learned the fact from dear experience
had not the remotest idea when she hon
ored the store with a visit Of making a
purchase more extensive than paper Of
pins, or who, perchance, may have made
the matching Of an almost unattainable
shade of antique goods the pretext for an
examination of an innumerable variety OF
articles. These shoppers, as they are
called, apparently delight in producing
disorder. For them the regular
Opening day" has no particular
attractions. Employers and clerks are
then fully prepared TO receive them, and
would only be too happy 10 spread out
the novelties of the season for their in.
spection. But they prefer to wait until
the customary rush is over-until every
thing is again in its place, and the ad.
mirable system which prevails in well
ordered dry goods store has again been
established. Then they come out, and
have, as IL were, an opening day all TO
themselves, while the poor clerk behind
inc counter suffers martyrdom. "Will II
washY" they ask Of this piece OF goods;
will this hold its colOrY" Of another;
and so on through a labyrinth Of ques-
tons, paying no heed whatever TO the an.
swers, though they would be greatly in
censed were they not treated with all defer
ence and prompt replies made to their in.
auiries. When they have fully satisfied
their curIosity--if their propensity Tor
overhauling can be so denominated-they
sail out of the establishment as If they
had done some noOle action, and as III
they had placed everyone, from proprietor
% call-boy, under everlasting obligations
As likely as not they leave one store TO
enter rival house, where they go
through the same operation, using
the knowledge they acquired at tie
first establishment cited for the pur-
pose al the second OF cheaper
ing' fabrics which they really have
no desire Of possessing. 1t Is related oil
woman who had acquired some slight no.
toriety for her achievements as shop
PERI that. having made some purchases In
one establishment, she Immediately bent
her steps TO a neighboring one. mere she
iourneyed from one counter to another,
each one she left being Uttered in promis-
cuous heaps after her, untii hhally she
had made a complete tour. Then turning
10 the clerk who had last waited upon her
she condcsccnded TO explain: boughi
some things At Blank " Blanks, you
know, and thought ! would just run IN
here and see If / had been cheated. Ana
there that woman had spent the good part
Of an afternoon paving over ana pulling
at dry goods Of every concelvaDie kihu,
consuming as much time rs twenty Gus
toners would have done, putting every
body 10 as much trouble as she possibly
could, and all for the purpose oi seeing II
she had been cheated in some trivial pur-
chase at another place.
Ii ID no wonder that the shopper" -
recognized by the clerk as a yerilabie
nuisance; but she has her uses for all that
If she Il not a source Of profit 10 the
merchant, she at least takes especial pains
10 give his employees opportunities Tor the
exercise of patience and courtesy; ana Tor
the cultivation Of these qualities on The
part OF dry goods statesmen she - largely
responsible. Lttroft Free Press.