The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-12-15
THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPER ABROAD.
Little of the Cry OF Hard Times Heard
by Merchants.

The stores were thronged yesterday with
Christmas buyers. Some OF the stores with
narrow entrances were damned, so that It
was almost impossible for those outside TO
get in and those on the inside to get out.
Ihere was a general question among the
women: Are you ready for Christmas
and the almost invariable answer was.
NO. l never expect to be-" There were
men looking for something for the members
OF their families, but they were few. The
task OF getting the Christmas shopping
done Is left TO the wife of the house and
the man of the house ought to be thankful
that he has nothing TO do but pay the
bills. Women rather enjoy the pulling and
hauling over the counters which they en-
counter in some OF the stores. There are
fashionable places to go for certain things.
And these places are damned from morn
ing till night, while another store not far
away may keep identically the same thing
and the shopper keeps to the crowd rather
than to go there.
Whether the Christmas shopping will
amount to as much In the end as II has in
other years, only the individual merchants
can tell. Some think the buyers are getting
as many articles, but are not getting such
expensive ones. Others find no difference.
tiCy huOW Nudl lnty ldFc III olOSh
and the expensive things are disappearing
from the shelves and counters as they al
ways have. People who buy away from
here think they can find pretty novelties
for 81, 50 and 81 in other places and that
the things here are either dear or cheap.
1t Is safe to say that this Is not so. A
shopper in another town may pick up some
thing that has not been seen here, but it
will be the exception and not the rule. Per-
sons are more patient in looking around
a nagr fpnNn hnHno THAI 0n for tho &C
pecial purpose and nave nothing to hinder
them, while those who live here have a
dozen other errands to do in the same
morning and cannot take the time. There
Is always one resolution that every wom-
an make at the new year, and that is
that she will begin to get ready earlier for
happens, or If IL does, it is so rare that it
has never been found out by any of their
doing. Christmas shopping is Just as char
acteristic as the individual. There is the
woman who first makes out her list of per-
sons to whom she wishes TO send a re-
membranes. Her second coming of the list
results In marking opposite the name the
name OF the article which she desires to
ing the amount she wishes TO pay for each.
Then she VIII rewrite the list, putting 1t In
such order that she will get at one shop
all the things that can be bought there.
Then she arrange the other things accord
ingly. She will make her trips down town
until she has everything bought. Her last
purchase will be boxes, thick paper and
tissue paper, cords, strings and ribbons to
tie them up, and the day before Christmas
she will buy her holly, TO hang in her house.
and tuck the scraps in the bow which ties
her packages. This woman is rare. The
average buyer goes down town without an
idea as TO what she wants and only a vague
idea Of how many or to whom she wishes
to give something. This is the woman who
blockades the counters and doors. gets tired
and worn out, buys what she does not
want, and, in short, does those things
which she ought not to do and leaves un-
done those things which she ought TO have
done"
The book stores are crowded, for when
one does not know what to give, a book
will fill thu case. There Is everything to
buy. Never nave the stores offered so many
articles, such a variety or better prices.
There is but a faint cry of hard times heard
in the rush of buyers. Not a few of those
in the stores yesterday were children, who
had their small stock of money and were
trying to get something for everybody and
not exhaust their scant supply.