The Arizona sentinel., 1886-12-18
CARELESS SHOPPERS.
How the Articles Left by Them in Large
 City Stores Are Disposed Of

How the Articles Left by Them fin Large
 City Stores Are Disposed Of
 Hundreds of articles are lost every day in the great stores of New York that are never reclaimed. What becomes of them may be of interest to the reader. In some of the most frequented shops on Sixth avenue and Broadway it has been found necessary to keep clerk for the especial purpose of taking charge of lost articles and to institute regular system by which they may be disposed of It would be, of course, impossible 10 attempt to enumerate all the thou sand and one different things of more or less value that are constantly being found. There is, however, a certain variety of articles that form the staple of this harvest. The first place belongs to handkerchiefs of all sorts and varie- ties. from the ordinary ten-cent article to the more costly lace and embroidered ones. Umbrellas rank next and are found in large quantities. Then come gloves, and as they are generally with out a mate, they are comparatively val ueless. Pocket-books, fans, hand- sachels, muffs and pieces of jewelry fol- low in more or less profusion.
 All the various articles, when discov- cred without the owner, are taken im- '.found desk" She-tl.e clerk is gen. orally a female-sorts them and keeps them for identification. Such as are afterward claimed are returned to the owner, and the rest, having been kept for certain length of time, are dis posed of somewhat as follows:
 The handkerchiefs, after having been laundried, are divided into two classes, and are sold to the employees for two and five cents each, according to their quality, A sale of handkerchiefs occurs about once a week in the large stores, and each department has its turn to buy. No part ahty is allowed to be shown, and each saleswoman has an equal op- portunity to make her own selection.
 Umbrellas, not accommodating so rap idly as handkerchiefs, a sale of them takes place only about once a month. They are confined to the purchase of the cash-girls in preference to all other employees. They command the insig- nificant trife of five and ten cents each.
 All money and jewelry found goes to the proprietor of the establishment un- less claimed. Pocket-books containing money are almost invariably called for, and the house, therefore, but seldom profits by the misfortune or careless ness of its patrons It often happens that packages containing goods which have been bought in the store are dropped or left at the counter by the purchaser, who, in going about from one department to another while shop ping forgets to return. These pack ages are opened, and if not reclaimed, the goods are returned to the counter from which they came and put back in stock. A book is kept for the pur- pose of making a record of such arti- cles, and an accurate note is taken of the kind of goods, their quantity and quality and price. If there should hap pen to be any change that is also care fully noted. This is done in order that the loser may recover the loss at any future time.
 The object in selling certain articles that are found is not, as might at first be supposed, to make them of profit 10 to the store, but, in the first place, to uelTdy bne eApeHees o1 lIle lOSs uepdII- ment, and in the second place, to pre- vent partiality being shown the buyers.
 In the sale of all fine articles-silks, umbrellas, lace handkerchieis, etc.-the superintendent, and such other en- ployes as draw high salaries, are al- lowed first choice, and it is seldom that they neglect to avail themselves of this privilege to buy at such bon marche. Last winter a very elegant seal-skin nut, worth probably in the neighbor- hood of twenty dollars, became the property of one of the lady superin- tendents in large Sixth avenue store for the ridiculous price of twenty-five c2nts.-M '. Stdr.