The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-05-02
AN Open LETTER
A Disguised Citizen!
San Francisco, April 20, 1890

San Francisco, April 20, 1890.
MR.. FLAVIN-
Dear Sir: You are stranger to
me, although have lived here some
years, but allow me as a citizen who
appreciates honesty and fair deal
ing to CONGRATULATE you on your
honorable mode of conducting BUSH
ness.
1t is high time SUCH men as you
Join hands with the public and drive
out from their midst unprincipIed
dealers who are fooling and hum
bugging the people by their unprin-
cipled methods.
have been in foreign lands, have
seen much of the world, customs
and habits of various people, but
San Francisco ciothiers with few
honorable exceptions like yourse!f)
takes the cake" to Use vulgar
phrase.
Two weeks ago was attracted by
a sign Everything Must Co; Suits
at Your Own Price" Invent into the
store to buy pair of cheap pants to
wear as change. | was shown
some Shoddy pants marked down
from SIS to So SO; they were not
worth ST.. Invent direct to XXI and
secured a pair for So 10 worth three
pairs of those offered at the other
store where they are closing out''
at SO cents on the dollar.
Last Friday one of these stores of
fered little suits to fit boys from to
2 years old at soc per suit. went
with my two little boys, but they re-
fused to sell me the same at soc as
they had LUST sold OUT but if
came on Saturday morning at 9
O'Clock they would have some in.
>-Ncf course had no feitii OF being
served, although -tiflIey exhibited a
large pile of those very suits at the
door labeled SO cents.
went again on Saturday nnornins.
Just for fun, and asked for a suit to
fit boy of eight years of age. Was
shown them. They wrapped one up
and demanded ST.. Irefused to paw
ST; refused to be imposed upon.
Whether the suit was worth a dollar
or not is not the question. They ad--
vertised all sizes, from to z years,
at soc per suit and my boy was only
the size of an 8 year old boy. They
had the cheek to tell me again they
had Just sold out' the larger suits
for soc; the only ones they had left
were fit for babies 4 years old, but If
! came on Monday morning at 9
O'Clock they would have some ready,
as they put 600 of the soc suits on
sale every day. said, you have
hundreds of suits at the door at soc;
why do you fool your customers that
way7" "oh!" they said, I'VE can
not unpack them Just now; come
Monday at 9 O'Clock. Monday morn
ing was there on time Just to see
how far they would carry their lies
and humbug. A new man was be-
hind the SOC counter and he had the
aud acity to tell me we have lust
sold all the soc suits; cleared them
out on Saturday." etc.
Just then lady with her two bows
was giving them a bit of her mind.
They had got her down twice before
on fools GRAND. She had brought
two boys all the way from South San
francisco.
told them what I thought and
called their attention to two signs
they had at the door, which were lies
on the face. One sign said they
winter and bad outlook and over
stock; the other sign said their
stock was consignment which had
been sent to them to close off at soc
on the dollar. So they made them
selves out liars and were sWindling
and humbugging and fooling the
people.
Every time I went somebody was
grunbIing for the same reason as
myself and hold such rascals are
demoralizing the commercial life of
San Francisco and destroying pub
lie confidence, inJuring the public
morals and ought to be driven out of
society.
For obvious reasons I do not wish
my name to appear in public on this
subject. Yours truly,
A. n.
(The original OF above letter is now in
he hands NJ the PuhIiahIno 10