The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1885-09-16
THE GALL AGAIN CUSTOMER.

"Call again. he said to the butcher,
"Call again another day.
And the butcher pocketed his bill
And sadly turned away.
The butcher took his wife that night
To see four-bit play;
But in a ffty-dollar box
Sat the man who couldn't pay.
How many grocers could duplicate
this piece Of experience. in substance
ifnot perhaps in the identical parti.
culars ? The man in trade has his
full share Of the hardships oflife, and,
without wishing to draw a gloomy
picture, it may be said that the tri.
bulations and trials Of temper to
Wish the grocer is subjected would
make a formidable list ifthey could
be fully catalogued. Slow sales, de.
preciated stocks, unlucky purchases,
periods Of dullness, reduced margins,
heavy rents and taxation, perhaps
dilatory help. are but few of the diff
fculties OF merchants as class, to
which of course must be added the
more private anxieties and worries
belonging to every human being
One ofthe causes Of trouble po-
pularly supposed to be most active
in rendering the merchants life not
a happp one, is the caprice Of GUS
toners. Some men who pride them
selves on their diplomacy behind the
counter say that every customer re-
quires some separate knack of treat
ment, and without unnecessary min.
cling and refining on the subject it is
easy to see that observation Of char
acser coupled with tact will go a
great way toward making trades,
man popular and retaining custom.
The world is full Of people who think
that the bestowal of their patronage
buys the privilege Of dropping cour-
tesy, indulging in plain speaking to
the verge of rudeness, of giving all
sorts OF trouble and inaicting all
manner of whims on the patient pro.
prietor or his clerks. However, the
dealing with these manifestations Of
character is q matter Of business and
livelihood the man Of sense tides
over such difficulties as adroity and
successfully as he may, and they are
not legitimately to be classed with
the serious troubles Of business life.
The real and serious difficulty arises
with the customers who, whether good
or iii tempered, easy or hard TO suit,
are unsatisfactory in the great re-
quisite, viz, payment. This, where
credit Is giving is q matter of expe :
dency and necessity, is the grocer's
principal grievance, compared with
which all Others growing out ofrela.
tions with customers are light, and
are not likely TO disturb his slumbers.
II 10 not uncharitable to say that
the majority Of a merchants bad-pay
customers belong to the class that
the versifcr above quoted had In his
mind. Poor people, il is true, some.
times have their income cut of
through no fault Of their own, and
iuasmuph as eating and drinking can
not be economical out Of sight, In
such case they unavoidably run be-
hind. Where the customers are
known and the distress is recognized
as genuine, no doubt q good deal Of
leniency is shown for which the gro
Ger gets little credit with the world
but these cases. In the aggregate, oc
casion only a small part Of the mer'
chants anxieties, since no man make:
a general practice Of supplying goals
to people who have nc present ol
prospective means Of support.
A very large proportion of the un'
satisfactory class Of customers ar,
people who lvie better, dress bNssel
and in all respects pass easie. lives
than many Of their creditors Dc
themselves They go on tho prin
ciple that Che world owes them 1
living, giving a liberal Interpretation
10 the term. They have probably ar
income that should allow oftheir act
ing justly by all, but to do 50 is no
their principle. They indulge them
selves with all that they can obtaii
on credit or for the money they hap
pep to hare at The moment The!
must keep up an appearance
live in q good neighbOrhOod, dresI
we'll, entertain their friends aud like
wise enjoy themselves TO what the.
consider o reasonable extent, whicl
which means an extent wholly be
yond that warranted by their income
The result Is, Of conrse, that SOM
one must bear che br.nt, and amonl
tradesmen the bearer Is invariabl,
the one who supplies The necessarie
Of living. The spare cash, axcep