New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-02
THE BUYING OF GIFTS.
HOLIDAY TRADE AMONG THE DEALERS.

sALEs---ExtERIENcE OF REPRESENTATIVE
HOUSES.
With the close of the year there comes to the
retail business houses the great opportunity OF
The twclvemonth and the holiday trade is regular
" utilized not only to harvest the fruits OF labor
foresight and well-applied experience, but also TO
boost the years receipts above the high water
mark of previous seasons When this is success
fully lone, it makes the year-end taking of stock
not only an CASTER but a much more satisfactory
duty.
Many of the leading New-York houses now en-
gagged in taking an account Of stock are very well
satisfied with the number Of shelves against which
they can put the check which signifies cleaned
out" or that contain so few articles in given
line that they may be swept on to the bargain
counter into the clearance sale as mere leavings.
The tale they have to tell varies according to the
character of the business Some have
been helped and some retarded by the peculiar
weather of the past month; some finding that they
have rcaped great advantages from bold and en-
terprising preparations for a good trade while
others have struck the popular fancy with their
novelties.
Many have noticed tendency this year to buy
useful presents rather than fancy or merely orna-
mental articles, while others, whose
stock has consisted principally of fancy
articles, have done business far
ahead Of previous years. Among the clothing
hdAses, while the general business has been ex-
ccllent the effect of the warm weather which
ushere in the winter months was marked, but
those cautious buyers who had waited to see
whether there was to be an open winter were
undeccved when Jack Frost turned up in biz
gard, and fastened to repair the omission and get
themselves hastily under wool and sealskin
no MORE NEw-YEAk's PRESENTS
There Is general testimony to the decadence of
. New Years week" as period for holiday trade.
Time was, and that not many years ago, when the
custom of giving New Years presents was as preva-
lent and in the earlier years more prevalent, as
that Of giving Christmas gifts. But OF Late the
celebration of Christmas which among the grand
fathers was largely confined to churchly people, has
become universal habit, and New Years has sur
fered from assertions on this account, as well as
from the innocuous desuetude into which many OF
the social customs have fallen which once gave to
. New-York New Years day character all its own
Stores which ten years ago opened their doors to
New Years custom almost as great as that OF
Christmas week have not been open evenings at all
during the week just closed.
But notwithstanding the loss of the New Years
purchases and the various circumstances OF weather
and the fact that the Christmas season IS mucn
longer than formerly so that lts traae ma; ~
sas instead Of being crowded into two, the
holiday business of the year just closed has Deeh
seIe am,S ~ Johnston. the eweler of the Bowery
and Broome-st, said that he had had an excep-
tionally good holiday trade that the sales OF the
month OF December were equal to those OF the
rame month last year, while on the entire year OF
1887 ne was 20 per cent ahead OF the previous
years business. Thirty years ago, ne sald, tne
about equal: ten. years ago the proportion was
tbree-quartcrs Christmas and One-quarter New
Years business, while now he had 10 ma an lils
holiday harvest in Christmas week, ana New
Years week was like ordinary week In OctoDer
He attributed the increase in his sales 10 9ucIous
ADVERTISING which constantly brought mn , new
customers of whom otherwise he never should nave
heard. oec .,o o,o+b;ors
at Broadway and trncest SAN dnr yV the bolidays
taan last year. although during the cary WARM
DAYS of December it had been light. lie leit HerS
we'll satisfied with the results, although holioay
trade as such was not particularly catered To- TO-
Much depended on the weather in his business, he
said and then he RACED ont 81 the WINDOW "ppro'
ingly at the fast-falling snow
THE VALUE OF ADVERTISING.
Christonber c. Shayne, who annually gathers
seals,ins and sables and oil manner of furs into his
warehouse. at No. 1O3 Prince-st.. and distributes
them TO people who shiver when the winter wlhu
crawls down their backs. sad he had had good
Christmas business. Il" Bat the month OF Deceni-
her from the 1st to the GOTH" he added was ,he
du,lest in the history of the trade However, that
was all made up for by the extraordinary business
Of the early fall the business S OF n lar%est ever
known The lapse II December causcu ny e,,c
warm weather. really a godsend' as 10 Easc
people chance to fill their back orders. GU may
rwonder that suci business can be done in store
like this in downtown side street.
I was once uptown. hut found that people WIG dn
wore going to rav all the way from 500 TO sl,3Uo
o. sinoIe Garment got it into their heads not to
helm me rav any fancy rents, and that by saving
trcc-fourths Of my rent ana anver,iilnS PIITT,n
facts ! coud DO more business down mere. Up
town pcorlc have to advertise. too. or go TO the
wall You can't do business IN an ihVet t
lircrt community of a million and a half OF
neonle without letting them know where you are,
NO matter where il is And if they want nothing
Int the best goods and know that that is all Won
Eenp. they will hunt you up, even ii u u niocN
of Broadway.
THv NEW STORES DID IT.
"Did we have larger holiday trade than
usnal9 said one Of tho firm of B. Altman d Co.,
at Sixth-avc and Nncteen'h-st., repeating the
rcroyter's question" We had to- We have
doubled the capacity Of our store this year. ana
We simply had to double our business ana we dio
H. That is all / can say about it, except that we
are very well satisfied with the result"
Mr. Thomas. of II. ONeill d Co., of No 3%7
Eixtl-avc said that the experience of his homse
during the holidays had been phenomenal we
have doubled the size of our store he sald , puo
we have more than doubled our business. Inc
sales have been larger than ever absolutely, hOt
only but proport onately as well. l suppose one
reason for this has been the fact that we had en-
Iarscd cur quarters and good many people came
in to sec what they looked like; That was
enough: after they came in. we had en- lou
ace we have carried much larger stock than we
ever could carry in old store, more attractive
" displayed bought in larger quantities ana at
lower rates. while the business has been done as
Economically as ever and goods were at lower
prices On some days during the holiday week
The crush here has been tremendous, ana we hau
20 move all our art goods upstairs to display tlem
properly Now we going to have pig clear
suca sale We don't want anything left over:
We want to get rid of it all There are lots OF
oeople educated to wait for these after the 1air
sales. which are a good thing for them anu eoou
thing 70. us " M,
MIR. Buckingham of Lord 81 Taylor at NO. wi
Broadway said that while they dld not prepare
especially for holiday sales. yet they ana Keep,
for their regular customers primarily, quantity
of holiday goods and these as well as regular goous
had gone very satisfactorily. Dress patterns, es-
=