Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-09-28

| Rorfet 20 euO-celIaf. tnciu0lnR pantry,
coal bins. wine cellar, stables, kennels
poultry yard, coach houses, gardens and
green houses.
Moreover, after all this is done, your
"Universal Providcr" will keep your
table supplied with all the delicacies Of
the season, cater for your parties. ETC.,
and when you die will provide your
burial place and conduct your funeral.
The girls at Whiteley's, as in most Of the
large shops. wear a uniforms black
dress and white apron provided by tho
firm. Indeed. black is the business
woman's garb all over Europe, and tho
Baroness Burdett Coutts sets the ex.
ample Of always wearing IL when she
goes to bank So generally Is this Gus
tom recognized that decent black
gown is the safest dress for any woman
travelling without male escort in Eng.
land or on the continent.
A department at whitelcy's which
seems peculiar one TO the American, Is
that Of ready cooked provisions, where
you may buy cold joints. fowls, entrees,
ETC., in short, all the requisites for cold
collation., all ready for service, and either
have them sent to your lodgings on the
dishes within an hour, or packed in bas-
kets, with the necessary utensils, TO be
taken on n water party or picnic. The
things are all there, and do not have TO
I've provided to your order. You can buy
or hire the china, etc, as you choose
There is but one thing which Whiteley
has not, an American soda water foun-
tain.
The admirably arranged parcels post
renders the amount of shopping done by
mail in Great Britain and the colonies
very large. The method employed by
the dry goods shops for sending samples
-"patterns," as they call them--is a
wise one. Packages are prepared, each
a complete assortment of the class of
goods called for; these are plainly
marked with the address of the firm
and with the polite request that the
whole package be returned with the
numbers and letters Of those desired
specified. Each sample is ticketed with
letter and number. II none are
wanted the package is to be returned
all the same. Thus the same sets of
samples are used over and over again
and the saving to the shops amounts TO
hundreds Of dollars yearly. The fact
that the patterns are the property Of the
merchant is everywhere recognized. A
lady who was showing the patterns"
she had just received from the "Auxili-
airy stores" gently reproved me for hit
Of carelessness. "They are only sent us
to look at" she said, "and as it saves us
so much trouble the least we can do is
TO I've careful of them"
The army and navy, civil service and
other cooperative stores are almost n
British institution. They are so generally
patronized by the upper classes that no
body likes to confess To being without
entrce 10 them. Originally started as
sort Of club, they have grown steadily
until their business and that Of their
branches extends throughout The whole
of the British empire, and the shares of
the original subscribers yield cent per
cent The shareholders are divided into
two classes; the purchasing shareholder,
holding from one to twenty pounds
worth of stock. who has joined the So
ciety expressly for the purpose of pur-
chasing his goods cheaply, 10 whom the
saving thus gained is well worth the in
vestment outside Of the per cent. year
ly interest which he receives on his
money; and the original stockholders,
who started the concern for their own
convenience and that Of their friends.
Besides the regular shareholders there
are many life and annual ticket holders,
since one OF the advantages of the club
is that 1t enables you TO oblige your
friend by admitting him to its privileges.
Latterly the larger shops, and for that
matter some OF the small ones, also, reg
uate their prices by those of the stores,
thus practically enlarging their useful
ness. The secret Of their success lies in
that they were not undertaken to make,
but TO save money, all that was asked of
them for years being that they should
pay expenses. Now the cloud mo bigger
than mans hand has arisen. and there
begin 10 be indications of a contest be-
tween the two classes Of shareholders,
one Of whom wants low prices, while
the other wants large prices.
The stores are neither more nor less
than purchasing clubs, which secure to
the small consumer all the advantages of
the largest buyer. AS in other clubs,
you are admitted by ticket, and in order
to make any purchase you must give
your name or number, which are sent
up TO the desk with your purchase and
verified before you are allowed to pay.
Name Of Percy, No. 23i ,567 800" Is the
usual formula. In this way strangers
are prevented from enjoying the benefits
of the society.
1t is hardly to be wondered that Kate
Field failed in her endeavor TO establish
"A like society in New York. There was
not the same need for it, in the first
place, and the idea Of profit was par
amount, when from the very nature of
things the business must be huge before
the profits are more than appreciablc.
Mrs. NJ. 4. HANDY.