Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-01-17
WHAT A" A"LOOKER" IS.
The Name by Which Salesgirls
Know Some Shoppers.
They Make a Deal of Trouble
and Seldom Buy Anything.

'Here comes LOCKER, sald one
New York sales woman to another so
loudly that her remark was overheard
by Daily NeDs reporter, who was
standing at a counter near by.
"Yes," said the person addressed,
''and she's got beau with her, too"
"Maybe she will buy something,
then, just to show her young man what
an economical shopper she is, said the
first speaker.
The young lady who was evidently
meant by the sales girls was fne-look-
ing, neatly dressed, and, as far as APP
pearance went, was certainly unobjec-
tonable. So, with some curiosity, the
reporter asked the pretty girl waiting
on him what was meant by calling that
young lady "ooker."
"Why, don't you know9" said she,
smiling. elbow green you men are
about shoppingl Every woman knows
that locker is woman who simply
looks at goods, doesn't expect to buy
any, puts you to all the trouble she can,
asks you to cut off sample and then
says she will call in again tomorrow.
And so she does, to bother some one
else.
"a fooker," continued the sales
girl loquacio ously, ais usually to be
found frequenting the large dry goods
stores. Her visit is timed to that por-
ton of the day when you are most b usy
and desirous of making your sales as
large as possible in order to stand in
well with the powers that be-.
"Then in comes q locker and wants
to be shown the goods at once. How
we hate her. o." said the girl i'm
pulsively to the reporter, ''if we only
dared talk to her as she deserved
wouldn't she just catch it, though"
AT this thought the shop girls eyes
fairly danced as if in anticipation of
how she would get square for once and
for all with the trou blesome lockers if
she had but half chance given her.
"The locker" res esumed the girl, sis
generally making a crazy quilt, or
something or other, and belongs to the
same class of young women who go
ar ound bothering young men for their
neckties, and who feel deeply aggrieved
ii they don't instantly promise them
their very best ties before they have
done wearing them.
"She comes here for samples of silks
and dress goods. Mamma wanted a
sample and couldn't come out herself
Or papa wanted to see what the goods
would look like before | ordered the
DRESS and so on. Finally we hit upon
a scheme that put an end to the locker
using our samples of goods for fancy
work. We cut the sample as narrow as
possible and then clip little piece out
of the centre of the same, telling the
locker when she says, oh, what did
you do that for2' that we were only
cutting our trade mark into the goods
in order that she might know from
what store she procured them. That
generally has the desired effect and
gives the locker to unders tand that we
are perfectly aware of what she wants
the samples for, and don t intend to let
any one make crazy quilts at our ex-
pense.
'Another species of locker is one
who comes from we'll to do family,
and has nothing to do but kill time.
She is not intellectual enough to read.
1t makes her head ache. Calling is a
bore, she yawns, and then she 'guesses'
she will go shopping. She expects us
to be pleasant and affable and SO oblg-
ing. Show me this Now, show me
that Every thing must be hauled out
for her inspection. Rarely she buys;
makes us provoked, cross, angry and
mad, until we wish that the whole tribe
of lockers could be turned, like Lots
wife, into pillar of salt, and we could
turn the hose on it and put an end to
her forever"