The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-08-09
WAYS OF BUSINESS.
THE MERCHANT WHO cORReCTs
ONLY ONE KIND OF MISTAKE.

a Severe Criticism of tho Ways of Shop
keepers and Cashicrs-The Steamboat
Clerk WHO Said. .uc Never ncctify Mis-
takes Here"
No one perceives the wisdom, and in
deed the necessity, of accurate book
keeping more fully than your humble
servant, who can't keep books to save
her life aud who finds herself approach
ing dementia every time she endeavors
to balance n cash account But why in
all bookkeeping systems, from banks to
the smallest retail shop, is it invariably
the customer who gets cheated if any
body? Tell me, ye winged winds, which
DER my pathway roll 1t is useless to
contradict and say that it isn't The
one exception i'll Il thousand years does
not count against the millions of oppos-
ing instances. I have lately read the
pathetic account by some recluse, who
never goes shopping, of the bloodthirsty
monsters who take more change than is
due them and stalk ont, leaving no adj
dress behind them, little rocking the
sutferings of the poorly paid employee
who has to mako good the deficit ont of
his or her own pocket. Eudge No such
mistakes occur, Or, if they do, they are
rarer than fresh vegetables On a country
table. LII all large establishments there
is II hawk headed Hnrrls ut the desk
waiting to pouncc on mistake in the
customers favoY'of cent, and 1nany's
tho time every one Of us can testify the
little slips have been returned to be cor
rectcd of mistakes to our credit. while
We fumed.
Thank goodness, there arc instances
i'll which the sharpshooters have wound
cd themselves. Once was on a Sound"
boat going from New York to Fall River,
and the man at the desk gave me a So
bill too much Ill change when paying
after supper. There was something Of
crowd, but that mistake would have
made itself evident to me in mob. I
dashed back and said, you've made
mistake III my change"
Can't help that, said the lordly
clerk eve never rctify mistakes here -
"Oh, you don't:' retortcd the head Of
the party. "Wcll. it Will cost you some
thing this time, for you have given us
So too much. But if You never rectify
mistakes you are tho loser for once "
1t is foolish to dwell Oh the SEQUEL.
and have forgotten ii. I only remem-
Der that the young man. pale and agi-
tatcd. danced i'll supplication around the
unmoved figure of the stern aflInoniSher
for some minutes. I suppose he got his
money, and L dare say there was no law
upholding one i'll keeping 1t, but hope
at this distance of time, he Didn't One
day, not long ago, was at % furnishing
shop in State street, Chicago, buying "a
tie. The price was 81. 80, and present
ell the man with 80 bill He swung
over the little birdcage ON telegraph
line and it camo swiftly back with so
cent piece. Seeing another tie for that
price, handed back the change and
was about to leave, when q voice came
from the elevated desk at the other end ::
Hi This half dollar is counterfeit -
Although it was a public place and I
am retiring lady, burst wildly forth
into clarion shout OF JOY. 1t is SO sell
dom q modest customer has the chance
Of beholding a natural enemy caught
with his own quickEme. The mmtifica-
ton of the salesman serving mo was
something to see. 1t did me good for q
whole day. Sending II counterfeit half
dollar cheerfully and with p7omptitude
III change and repudiating it ON its re-
turn the next minute 1t was sharp
game and Il little too sharp.
Everybody who shops much knows
that it is next to impossible to get %
returned" article credited, or, indeed.
called for. If you take two rugs Gun ap-
prevail mention rugs because you
can't very well return them by hand
and state clearly and plainly and over
and over the price of tho one you have
kept and the one you wish returned,
you are moro likely than not to find
both on your bill tho next month, and
you are likely to find the rug day after
day littering your hall unless you tele-
phone twice a day and end by flouncing
down yourself i'll a rage and demanding
its instant removal OF course if it is
kept long you are charged with it, any
way. The other night, when it was very
hot, sone friends of Il Lady in moderate
circumstances dining with her suggest
ed drive in the park. Ono of the men
telephoned for n landau. and at the end
of the drive paid for 1t. The next week
the bill came into the lady. Now of
course this was an accident. But why
doesn't the other accident ever happen?
Why should thousands Of bills come in
to be paid twice, while by no oversight
or bad management does II bill ever get
| forgotten or overlooked? Money getting.
grasping. greedy generation of shop
keepers! Business is business, if you
like, but business need not be d cut
throat, bloodthirsty system Of demand