New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-22
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
PROFITS IN STREET SALES
A yorSo NAN OF VARIED rxPERIENCr-wnAT THE

A VOTING NAN OF VARIED rXPERiENCt-wHAI ihr
DEALERS PAY FOR THEIR wARHs
There are too many street merchants, and IN.
tend 10 get ont of the business IN October Nv GOING
down on the White River. In Arkansas anu y om,ms
my uncle in keeping n woodward and supplying
steamboats, ,.,s.r
braces in front Of Trinity Church. IN broanway.
whom TRIBUNE reporter engaged IN c9nveisa' .%a
as TO the profits obtained by street dcaicIs III .io
,ale Of their wares He was shIewd-iookhe:
auick-spcakinQ American about twenty yeuls q,
age. and possessed OF sufficient educa''o" " oo"'
Western country school.
~ have followed this business ever SINCE WIS
nine years old" he continued and nave seen las
best days have engaged n . every D "a1ent paper
shirt. bosoms and lemonade, and hatter myself that
] know IL from A to H. c,. ...;,-o
and interested listener he forgot for the time 10 cry
his wares and proceeded with the subject
There was a time, and that not many years ago,
when money could be made III the street during
the Centennial at Philadelphia, l gained ADMIT,
lance TO the ladies' parlor of the Continental, ana
In one afternoon sold SOS worth OF charm lewSSIy
and Irritation guides. Now am selling suspenders
and don't make enough TO live in Respectable
neighborhood. They cost me IL cents pair, and
sell them at 25; 8 cents is not much for man 10
wear his lungs out for To-day have sold four
teen pairs, and nv days work Is about done. REQ
pie don't buy anything this late IN the afternoon;
they are all anxious to reach home. There Is a
peach woman across the street; she clears double
the money | do and still she COMPLAINS OF hard
times She buys peaches az So tHree Sradss
basket there twenty peaches whicn she can sell
at cents apiece as many more at three LOT cents,
and then say fifteen that VIII command ceh p,
apiece She has to pay the city 81 d year iOr IL
cense and the boys steal few OF the peaches' ou'
then she has cause for complaint go
What are the profits of lemonade deaersT
VERY light on day like this better when the
Thermometer shows 900 If one half of them would
leave the trade, the remainder would mahe eoqd
living, sold lemonade in Broadway: near ientn,
ST. for short tile in June until an Italian started
an oppos ion bucket and squeezer anu reuuced .ne
selling lemonade at cents glass. The greatest
cosl is the ice Lemons cost half cent apiece at
Wholesale. and one lemon will make two glasses.
Sugar for the sweetening costs 81 for ten POUNDS.
Taking into consideration Ice sugar and lemons III
costs cent glass to make good street ielhona9e'
Soda water am not posted on. The 'peanut traue'
which is mOuopOized by the Italians Is poor foa-
nuts cost about 20 cents bushel, and rciaied at
cents a quart, roasted, leave small proht OF 90
cents. That man across the street neiow nunu.s >.
norters cravats and cOllar-bnttons. makes ABOUT
200 per cent on every sale but bus sales are so few
and Jar between that he finds II dltncuit 10 pun OH
clean shirt SUNDAYS and thursdays. COar-but tons.
six for cents cheap that vessels III the South
American trade would use them for ballast III prefer
ence to good sand were they heavier Automatic pen
ellis find fair sale at 10 cents Their cost IL about
6 ccnts Toys of all kinds sell poorly tins season
and the profit on them is small lonka peahs ana
EIorda charms cost about 80 cents a peck and sell
NJ cents piece-a big profit when man can sell
Them Handkcrchiefs and socks at o cents are
dear bargain to the purchaser. and the seller don't
make much. There is not great deal OF cutlery
sold on the street man with average sense VIII
90 to a store if he wants razor or peuknlle some
women though, buy scissors of street men, Five
and l0-cent jewelry sells well TO children and
servants girls. A horseshoe scarf-pln that VIII sell
for 10 cents costs in the neightorhood of cents.
Cigars sell principally to 'greenhorns.' drum ken
men and 'roughs. They are old butts picked up
on the street and worked over. We buy our stock
of auction notion and novelty houses, whera
peders alone are SUPPLIED. | never knew hut one
, street man to make fortune aud retire from the
business. That was Happy Tony, the Italian VINO
used TO keen a fruit-stand in the Bowery, near
(irand-st He saved enough In five years to over
to Brook iyn. buy ont saloon. get married, and
think of running for the Assembly on the Demo
cratic ticket It is just lettering away the best
wears of a mans life 10 be a street salesman. and
Shall get out of It, as SAID before, IN October"