The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1884-12-27
THE ENGLISH CREDIT SYSTEM.
The English Retail Business In q
Nutshell-LOrd Tom Noddy.
I I

The English Retail Business In q
Nutshell-Lord Tom Noddy.
[Kate Fields London letter.
So ingrained Is the system of giving
credit in this country that, glad as
tradesmen are to waive cash, they as a
rule entertain much less regard for such
clients than for those who run up enor-
nous bills of one, two and three years
duration. In fact, the former arc made
to suffer for the short-or at least long
-comings of the latter.
"Why do you charge us so exorbit-
antly for broughama" asked our car
riage man the other day. 1--WE pay
weekly, and yet your prices are as high
as though you waited year for your
money"
well. you see" replied the man, ''wc
can't afford to discount. We've Il great
many grand patrons, to whom we arc
obliged to give long credit, and VIC must
charge cash customers high prices in
order to be able to trust the others, by
whom we make lot of bad debts. 1t
do so put the gentry out to be asked for
money"
Behold English retail business in a
nutshell. Trades-people are SO much
under the influence of caste that they
feel bonored by giving Lord Tom Noddy
credit, with the possibility OF never real
izing penny, and wreak their living on
those who are too honest to order what
they cannot pay for. Cash patrons arc
poor, miserable white trash, as the
American slaves used to call these Cau-
casians who were sufficiently degraded to
work. They may leave at any time for
the north pole or the equator, and no
one be the loser; but Lord Tom Noddy
is an established institution. dating from
the time of William the conqueror. His
creditors have an abiding interest in his
welfare. His movements arc carefully
watched; his health concerns many
families. If he be ordered to the north
pole there is wailine and gnashing of
teeth. Pray, how does he. pacify his
creditors2 By ordering superb outSt
rolling up more promises to payl
'sPay my tailor" exclaimed a young
swell the other day. 'Why, do yoi
know how I've paid him this year2 By
ordering more clothes. lie was as much
pleased as though I'd handed him Bank
of England notes"
British tradesmen have themselves to
thank for THEN rotten conditlon-never
worse than now-,nd for the consequent
establishment of cooperative stores. |
rarely 90 to the ''storus' that do not
lose my temper, and ache from head to
foot from standing and waiting until the
perfectly Indifferent young men get
ready to serve me. They can't help
making me wait, because they are over
worked and cannot multiply their hands
and feet. First, | must write an
order; then l must wait until
the cashier can set down 'the
dem total" which Mantalina so
feelingly abhorred. Then / pay this
''dem total" after which am permitted
to go in search of superintendent, who
gives the order to whomsoever is least
engaged. This may mean six orders
deep in advance "Will take the parcel
with me2' "Yes." ''Have / other
orders to give7 It will he quite half an
hour before the parcel is ready" So l
wander upstairs and downstairs, seeking
what l may devour in order to kill time
and almost myself. ! finally appear,
laden with small packages, and after
waiting more than twenty minutes
longer, obtain my spoils. A gong is
sounded, and in the course of five min
utes porter arrives.
''Do | want cabf'
"Yes."
shodldering my purchase, the porter
sallies fourth, halls four wheeler,
literally bundles me into it, and l 60 off
to unbundle on reaching home.