The Arizona sentinel., 1886-04-03
PUSHING TRADE.
How It Is Done By Dealers in Ladies' Foot
 Gear.

How It Is Done By Dealers in Ladies' Foot Gear.
 A tall man, with hatchet face and nose so thin that it barely separated his keen, gray eyes, entered a Grand street store, drew package from a capacious pocket of his overcoat, and said to a polite clerk: Somebody must have marked these shoes wrong. They are a half size too large" The clerk opened the package, looked at the inclosed pair of kid gaiters, and remarked: ''Ah. these are twos-and-a-half. You want twos." ':No. don't" said the custom CT, with a sharp ring in his voice; ''I want number twos-and-a-half, but the shoes must be half size smaller than these"
 Clerk-Why, sir, these are twos-and- a-half. Ton can see for yourself. The mark is plain enough.
 Customer-But I have already told you that the mark is wrong. My wife has been wearing number twos-and-a- half shoes for years. I ought to know, for have had to buy so many of them. I took these shoes home the other day, expecting that they would fit, of course, and 1 have had to come back to ex- change them because a rascally shoe maker put a wrong mark on them.
 Clerk-You must be mistaken, sir; this house takes the greatest care that every thing sold is exactly what it is represented to be. Our reputation
 Customer-Never mind your reputa- tion.. I tell you these shoes are No. 3. Get me another pair a half size smaller.
 The polite salesman went in search of shoes of the same trademark and soon returned with two pairs which were marked ''2'' and ''2 1-2." He smiled serenely on the customer as the latter compared the shoes which he had taken back to the store with each of the other pairs. There could be no mistake. The pairs numbered ''2 1-2" were of exactly the same size. while the pair marked ''2' were half size smaller.
 Customer-Well, these No. ? shoes will fit my wife, but I wish you would explain something. There came near being row in the family when my wife said I would have to take that pair of shoes back, and to be very sure that 1 had not forgotten the size of her foot looked at her old shoes and saw the No. 2 1-2 mark on them. Yet her old shoes measured quarter of an inch less in length than the new ones.
 Clerk-Were the other shoes bought here?
 Customer-No. have been buying shoes for some years at Blanks, in the Bowery.
 Clerk-Ah, that may explain the diff. ference. think they have different standard for working at Blanks. You see some women insist on buying shoes half size too small for them, and when they go to store to buy for themselves, they can't be satisfied until the salesman crowds their four and half foot into a four shoe. A woman who has worn four shoe will not have it said that she has to wear four and half. Now, if she has been buying her shoes at Blanks, and she happens to come here for pair, she either gets fours that are com fortable on her feet, or she finds that she can pinch her feet into threes-and-a- half She will be satisfied, anyhow, and Blank won't sell her any more shoes. 1t helps trade, don't you see?
 The sharp features of the customer relaxed in smile which did not vanish until he had departed from the store.- ~. r. Tribune.