The daily gazette., 1877-09-19
SHOPPING AND sHOP-GIRLs
From the Baltimore Gazette.

From the Baltimore Gazette. '..i .uI.i
The presence of so many rosy-cheeked
and bright-eyed maineds on our priDoi-
pal thoroughfafes, accompanied by so
many stern, but fond lmamas, suggests
that the autumnal shopping season is
setting in with its usual violence. And
when we say "yiolence" we use the word
| advisedly. The pretty creatuers who,
when they choose, can put on such a
classic air of languor and modulate their
speech with such delicious draxl, as III
they were ust the least bit weary of the
world and its vanities, display the most
astonishing vigor when any shopping is
| to be done, aud they thing nothing of
walking miles nin search of bonnet,
when for anything else they could not
be induced to walk as many blocks. They
shop violently. We have no personal
acquaintance with Miss Flora Nc
Flimsy, the young lady who is reported
to travel with ten Saratoga trunks in her
wake, but we have been frequently told
by shopmen who know her very well
! that she is never content to make selec-
| tions until she has seen everything that
is worth seeing in all Che leading estab-
| lishmenls in town. We have been told
also, though this We are inclined to
doubt, that after insisting on being
shown everything on the shelves she fire.
quently goes away without making a
single purchase. We are sure no other
Baltimore belle would be guilty of such
| a crime. So far as our observation goes,
indeed, it is the habit of our young ladies
to treat thesshopmen with the most dis
| tinguished consideration, seldom leaving
\ their establishments without buying gen
| erouslv, and leaving instructions to "have
1.-THE bill sent to pan" We suppose shop
ping will this season present Its usual
| features, that there win be great deal
| of chat and chatter in the stores over the
\ new fabrics and new colors and new
modes, with about the same fastidious-
ness on the part of customers. and vexa-
ton on the part of the clerks who wait
on them. With all this, however, We
have no concern except on one point
| We have lately taken occasion to say a
kind word for our shop-girls, whose lot,
no easy one at the best, is frequently
made intolerable by the indi ference OF
employers and the thoughtlessness OF
their patrons 1t is within the power at
those who go a-shopping to remedy this
euil to a great extent. They can, in the
| first place, very much tighten the labors
of our saleswomen by setting limit to
their curiosity, Let them, Tor instance,
ask to be shown only such goods as they
really want; many poor girl who sacrifi-
| ces her strength to please ap over-parti.
eular customer has only her pains for her
trouble, and if the latter happens to go
away without buying anything she very
| likely receives either a sneer or sharp
rebuke from her employer. We beg the
ladies to be little more considerate in
the future. Another way in which they
can help the shop-girls in this Let them
make point of expressing their disap
proval of all employers who refuse to al
low their girls to sit down when moi
waiting on customers. In many cases q
hint merely will be sufficient No en-
ployer would risk patronage for the sake
of having his own way. We hope ouI
shoppers will reflect upon these sugges
tions and take the first opportunity t.
| nrofit Inv Them