The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-05
shopping fra Paris.
DEVICES TO TEMPT THE UNWILLING DOLLAR
A SAMPLE EXPERIENCE.

Zola's "Au Bonheur des Danes" is
study Of one Of the most important and
interesting features In Paris, the great
shops, such as Au bon Marche, which no.
tably furnished the model, writes a New
York Tribune correspondent. The mtSe
en- rente, occasion and coupons are house
hold words in Paris, and. il the feminine
mania for shopping can be traced TO It's
| first cause, these terms would be held
mostly responsible. The mise en- Cente Is
day OF special sale. The great shop Is
adorned like bride for her husband.
Every art which can catch and dciude the
eve Is brought TO bear. IL is day either
OF occasions or OF coupons. The occasion
| is the special sale OF goods marked down
| for that day only. The coupons are rem
nants exposed for sale, and, II follows, az
reduced prices. As some one has said, the
love OF getting things cheap is the last
Infirmity OF noble minds; for lesser
minds IL Is the first. most lasting,
and most ungoverned. Cooler-headed
fathers and husbands might not find these
things really cheap. An occasion Is ac-
tually reduction in price, but the occasion
! is only bait that lures on to other pur-
chases. The coupon almost always means
the buying OF certain quantity for which
one has no need. The secret OF these great
shops is not TO sell what one wants, but to
sell that which one does not want The
ways in which this is accomplished are
legion. One of these is to change the
positions Of the different departments.
An hGJitUf Of the shop wanting
certain article Is accustomed 70 lind it on
the left-hand side of the entrance. She
walks directly toward it, TO find there
something entirely different. On inquiry.
she is obliged 10 traverse the entire shOpto
the right-hand side of the entrance on the
opposite street. On her way her attention
is distracted by hundred different arti-
ces-from necktics to mustard-potS. with
prices ostcntatiously displayed II she
does not buy one. two, three different
things en route which have never before
entered her head, she is an exceptional
Frenchwoman.
A friend says to me: "When 60 TO the
Bon MarchG ! leave my purse at home"
But even that contingent is provided
against. Any purchase can be bought and
paid for on delivery. More, any purchase
bought can be returned and the money re-
funded. No time is specified, and have
known pair of portieres TO be bought and
used for six months, when the capricious
taste OF the owner declined TO admire them
longer, and they were returned and the
money gwen back. As matter OF per-
sOnal experience, | never went to either
Au Bon MarchG or the MagaZln du Louvre
without buying something that | never
thought Of buying when | entered, and /
fancy there are few people who can say
otherwise.
The craze takes two forms. Some wo-
men are paralyzed. They go through the
entire shop, roofing among laces and rib
bons in sort of fury, and buy nothing.
The most dangerous form is that OF buy
ing-and the more common. IL is the
form to which American women are more
susceptible. There was a pitiful instance
of this in a school-teacher, who by strict
economy had been making the tour during
her vacation. Fortunately she did not
come 10 Paris until about TO return home.
AS is well known the Magazin du
Louvre is directly opposite the Louvre.
Each time she found herself on
the way to the Louvre she became
cntrapped in the shop. Invariably, when
she finally reached the gallery, it was with
i'm half an hour of closing time. 81 can't
get any further than the grand galerc."
she confessed. "Can't you tell me Of some
other door, so / can reach the Salon Care ?
daren't 90 home without seeing that big
Murillo, the Mona Lisa and The Mar
rage in Cana" The young woman knew
what she was after, but was entangled in
her femininity. In an evil hour she went
TO the Bon Marche on day OF coupon. But
she shall tell her own story: Il don't
know how il happened. 1t was like
great Suction-pipe, and got drawn in. |
went in TO buy package OF shoe-strings:
I'm always out OF them. / got in, and i
didn't 20 ont until after 6, and then Il sales
man led me out because they wanted to
close. | bought three remnants OF black
silk and two pieces of brocaded velvet,
two pairs OF lisle-thread stockings and two
pairs OF silk stockings, cashmere skirt
ready.madc, and one of silk and velvet.
brass PLAGUE, three embroidered handker-
chiefs, a paraSol with lace around ii, a
dozen yards OF ruching. nine pairs of
glOyes--only one with eighteen buttons,
the others only cost a frame and a
half pair-a Spanish lace fichu,
two ostrich feathers, five yards OF
Jet passementerie, some c0lored ribbons,
u box OF assorted hairpins, an alligator
card-case, a box OF Lupin soap, and some
sachetS, thread-lace handkerchief, and
fur collar. | think that's all. I spent S73.
They told me | could return them il
didn't want them. | forgot | was going TO
London on the early morning tram. But,
oh tell me what will | do? had money
to get here and my steamer passage taken,
but how will pay my board here and get
TO Liverpool"
''DO you want the thlngs?"
No, no a thousand times !" the poor
thing shrieked
.'What did you get them for:"
Somehow | thought il was nv duty,
they were so cheap" 1t is a young woman
who always likes TO put her acts on a high
moral basis. In house full OF women
tourists with few dollars left. it was not
difficult 10 dispose OF the purchases. She
herself was sent off to Liverpool and home
4 wiser woman.
To all this the method OF selling contri-
butes. To an American the pertinacity of
the French clerk, his persistent politeness
so long as he believes you possible pur-
chaser, are source OF wonder, accus-
toned as she is to the comparative indifler-
ence In statesmen and saleswomen at home |
The French clerk sees you through your
purchases. He accompanies you to the
cdtSee when You make your payment. he |
wraps up you parcel, and bv this time Won
part Ike old friends, and with many courte-
sizes.