The Irish standard., 1889-03-02

trade, and simply wait until such q lady
asks favor OF days or a weeks accom-
mediation to pay fora heavy purchase, OK
comes and asks in plain terms to be allowed
TO run bill here. Then, though she does
not know how eager we are, we jump to &C
eommodate her,
"Why"
siMercyl what a greeny you are. Be-
cause lady who has bill at our store
spends all the way from fifty percent. to
Ave hundred per cent. more than If she
hadn't. Not only does she buy every thing
she wants at this store where she has bi&
passing all the rest every day, but she buys
things she does not always want and can
not always afford. You need not laugh;
men do the same thing. We are glad
to get men to run bills here as well as
women. 1t was only yesterday that gen.
tlemaE told me that he never had been thor
oughly we'll dressed until we let him run an
account with US. He used to hate TO part
with money for things he could possibly
do without, but now he has dressing gowns,
pajauas, silk hose, scarfs a-plenty, and the
Lord knows what not. He says that when
he gets our bill once quarter he is always
pushed into doing some extra piece Of Work
he is an artist--in order to get extra
LIZ AA|AO@ VA v
from most men, because he says this spend
ing money causes him 10 make money, since
be IS driven to earn a great deal more than
lac spends each time our bill comes in But
the ladies can't do that, you say. No, they
simply fight it out or coax it out of their
husbands."
The merchant went on to say that the
ladies' impose upon the store-keepers to an
amazing extent, but that this is well under
stood, and is not objected to. ''For in
stance, il the lady who wore the rich cloak
to the opera had said that this is what she
intended to do with it she could still have
had it, because her custom is very valuable,
and now goes entirely to the one shop that
gives her credit. Had she taken the cloak
home to have it copied By dress-1Daler, as
is done with cloaks, and gowns, and ul~
sters, and even with under linen every day,
it would still be best for the store To let her
dc it, since when she copies the garments.
in order to get them cheaper, she will buy
the goods of which to make them at the
store that grants favors to her."
Here is a curious phase OF commercial
life The women who fancy they deceive
the shop-keepers are actually known to
have dresses sent home in order TO wear
them to the photographers. They arc
known to borrow hats, artificial flowers OR
feathers for use at a party, Or for decorat~
ing their own parlors when they give q
party. They order portieres, bric-a-brac,
pictures, every thing that can be imagined,
for use at home on special occasions, always
saying that they want to get their husbands
opinions Or consent before purchasing
They have suits sent home to try OF their
children, as they say, but in reality 20 dress
their children for Sundays school examina-
tons, or whatever they want them to appear
at their best in. They actually borrow
dresses to be married in! Stranger yet, it
seems to me, is the fact that this is recog-
nized and countenanced by the men whom
the women think they are tricking. It is
simply charged to wear and tear and profit
and loss, and no charge is made unless &C.
rious damage is done to the borrowed arti-
cles Even then, if the annual bill for a
year of a woman who did the damage should
be seen to be considerable one, it is much
more than likely that her attention would
not be called to the damage done lest the
customer take ofense and carry her trade
to rival store.