Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1889-03-22
THE TAILoR's COMMENT.
He Has to Credit His Customers 90 Keep
the Trade. Which Il Hard 60 Get.

ne mas 10 credit His Customers 20 Keep
the Trade. Which Is Hard TO Get
Fine custom tailoring is not what
II used TO be-" said a Brooklyn man In
the business TO an Eagle reporter, 'tand
the big houses are just driving us to
the wall. i suppose it is the same in
everything else, but, of course, you
know our trade is the first 10 suffer
from competition of that kind"
How is thatl"
Il am surprised that you ask me
such a question:" replied the tailor,
slightly elevating his eyebrows,
when you should know, If you do
not, that we must get large profit ON
custom made suit of clothes TO make
any money. Whyl Because there
has been an unwritten law from time
immemorial which allows a man to
pay his tailor's bill last of all. Now,
aperson can't get credit TO any amount
in one Of the big establishments. II
he orders suit at such place he must
leave deposit, and the balance is de-
manded when the clothes are deliv-
cred On the other hand, tailor who
has small shop must cater to his Gus
toners by allowing credit. Now, in
these times OF sharp comN tition, high
rents and heavy expenses for skilled
labor, you will see that il takes the
profit upon great many suits of
clothes to pay running expenses and
lay up something for dull times.
When there was less composition we
could get along, but now, beside the
big establishments where they can get
up suitof clothes for almost nothing,
there are innumerable shops where
they sell fashionable looking clothes
limitations Of the clothes we keep, of
course-for Just about half the money
we can sell the real goods for. In for
mer years, the fine custom tailors and
the ready made stores monopolized the
business. Neither interfered with the
trade OF the other, and consequently
We had certain hold on our custom
ers, who, in order 10 get new clothes
Of US, would pay their bills rather
than be forced into buying ready
made garments. Now they leave our
bills unpaid and 60 TO one Of the
cheap custom stores, pay cash for In
ferior goods, and then come back and
tell US how exorbitant our prices are.
Why, it's enough TO drive q man crazy
sometimes Yes, the better class OF
small tailoring shops are being driven
out Of business, and it's too bad, for
the establishments that are driving
them out are doing a much interior
kind Of work The great object with
them is to make up and sell fashion
able goods at a low figure. Now, I
will not say that the material they use
is all shoddy-far from it II is sur
prising for what small sum they can
sell really good clothes. How do they
do iti Well, in the first place, they
rely TO great degree upon transient
trade. Secondly, the credit system is
tabooed and they get cash for their
goods Thirdly, they pay the lowest
wages possible to their help Fourth
ly, they do not pretend TO put the
finish on their goods that q first class
tailor does A man argues in this way
when he patronizes one OF these shops:
He says to himself: I have been pay
ing t16 for trousers, while here is q
man who says be can get me up .
pair equally good for tS. i know that
he can't tdo it. but I also know that for
fit and appearance his ts trousers viii
for q considerable time be q good dasmy
t1e pair, consequently I win buy the
Is ones and when they are worn out ]
Ssn psrs ss %sa sSofHsc would ps DAY. pIs
one.' Now, you see, IL bis argument
is a good one he would be very fool
ish 4 he did not take advantage Of the
cheaper man. After ALL" concluded
the tailor, sighing, IF 1t weren't that
we were expected TO give such long
credit don't know that we would Be
any worse off than our neighbon.
That is what is killing us."-Brooklyn
Eagle.