The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-03

fully, even to associations. so as 20
talk Familiarity of friends IL occasion
brings about the opportunity. / have
been mistaken myself in assumptions,
but got over it long ago, after mc,t
3:sagreeablc Scrape. was younger
and braSh. l saw a mOdcSt-l0o king
woman take off half-l0zen as nice
embroidered handkerchiefs as we had
in the store. was positive she was a
certain customer on our books, and was
confirmed in the belief by recollecting
the absent-minded way she worked To
me it seemed a sad case Of kleptomania,
and fancied her house full of all sorts
of stolen nicknackS of no use, but said
TO be presents from friends. That's
the way, you know. So let her pass
out unnoticed. and at the end of the
month sent up the item with the
rest of the statement of the months
purchases. Then it all came out. As
soon as | saw the lady l knew my
error. But it was a close resemblance.
No, take no stock in kleptomania. If
YOU notice, it's only disease for rich
folks. Who knows but what Pasteur
will be inoculating for it after he gets
through with hydrophobia? There
more money in it for him. They say
the nobility have attacks of it once in
a while. Yes, every stock suffers with
us. o, it might stop stealing if we
didn't display goods so much, but it
would stop trade too. Why, the other
day actually saw a grown woman
hook a bunch of hair crimpers off the
notion counter that were plainly
marked two punches for three cents.
The gall of it paralvzed me and the
clerks around, and we nearly laughed
aloud. We let her 90 her way, though.
Silk remnants and bolts of ribbon or
lace are the most tempting. Hang me,
but | wonder what the shoppers take
Us for? They can't reason at all. most
of them, but steal Oh the impulse,
especially such as were arrested the
other dav. It's our business to watch
the goods around, and we get so by
experience that we can take in 4 good
deal with one scope of our eyes. We
know all our patterns, besides having
them marked otherwise. Then we ge:
to know the character OF our visitors
pretty well by the way they carry
themselves. BY inst moments talk
we know if woman really wants to
buy to-day, or wei call again
They can't play it on us unless the
store is pretty full, and then it is our
losses occur, and our profits, too,
might say. Yes, we do search, but
more frequently it is not necessary, but
as you saw. If woman comes pre-
pared to steal, and has the customary
bag or pocket scwed in her clothes, we
can know whether she is good t.
search by beating around her cloth
inc, when we feel uncommon OBJ
jects for the pocket. From time to
time we have accumulated up stairs
stacks of stuff taken out of such places,
but not stolen from US. Rarely co
they try to brazen it out, but cry, and
talk Of their homes, and they never
did it before. and never viii again, and
So on. As l said, we don't care to go
into court, and let most % if we get
our goods back. Articles regularly
purchased, you know, are wrapped and
have cash checks with them. We have
found such with goods acknowledged
to be stolen, but never keep them, of
course. How do we keep track of
every thing in such a varied stock?
By system, and nothing else. Then
every thing gets familiar to the sales
people. Their eyes are sharp for
patterns of goods and bulk of pack
ages. It's only when things are known
t. be sold that they never will be
missed. We did have girl here who !
boosted she could tell if hole was |
gone out Of pattern of lace. but she |
died, or got married, which is the same.
so far as regards business, for they |
quit then. But I'm of Of shoplifterS.
Y@u can say nine out of ten are pre- |
sumabiy respectable. and most of them |
never stole before they were caught, |
and never will afterward. Once is |
enough. Shouldn't You think sop
CbicG1O Inter ocean.