The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-16
CHEiSTMAs AND PpGKLTHOOkS.
v hnt n Rainy W eek Mems TO Wilmington
Merchants.

Now that Christmas shopping has be-
gun Market street merchants would give
II large amount Of money to know positive.
ly what the weather is to be i'll Christmas
week viii it be cold and stormy or fair
and cold? Will it blow or snow or both?
most Of all conceivable things will it rain?
Tha0 is what the merchant breads most.
1t has long been said that "a green Christ
mas makes a fah graveyard" True enough
doubtless, in this latitude, though not so
pointed and painfully true as it was be-
fore scientific sanitation had robbed ma
laria and typhoid fcvor Of half their torrors.
But now more than ever, green Christ
mas-a wet Christmas-makes lean
purse for the man who caters to Christmas
trade. A Market street merchant said to
me yesterday 1T means u matter Of thous-
ands of dollars to the retail trade of vii.
mington what the weather will be next
week. If it should rain we are out much
more. There is no way of calculating
exactly how much. Probably the most Is
lost by the universal trait Of procrnstinu-
tiun. BY far tho greater number Of Christ
mas shoppers put off their buying until
the last minute.
They always have and always will; it is
human nature. Then when tho time
comes they must act il the weather is foul
they "cut it short" and get through with
1t in u hurry. In their haste they forgot
many things and abandon many others,
which they had intended to bay and
would have bought under more favor
able conditions. Their intended bcnoiioi-
aries are losers, but SO arc we. We lofe
tho sale and reasonable profits which we
should otherwise have made.
Then there are the large number Of per-
sons, who for their health's sake, simply
daren't go out in wet weather. They alc
l,,, inu tpIy th I,,,t,
by proxy and t.le condition of their health
won't let them tempt fate with wet fecl.
Cabs are expensive, cars cold and
draughty and walking is OUT of the qucs-
Jiou. They stay at home and we are again
out of pocket.
Then there are the country folks, who
in decent weather, come in drOvts and
leave their savings behind them, keeping
only enough money to pay their car fare
home. YOU have no idea how fine weather
stimulates the buying habit. If it rains
the country people stay at home and
putronize their own dealers. Good thing
for our country contemporaries too, but it
all comes out OF us.
But the market men are the men who
suffer most of all. In Eighth, Third and
Second street markets, tho long aprOncd
dealers watch the weather like hawks. 1t
Is all well enough to talk about modern
the TACT is, that poultry will not keep in
wet weather. 1t may be frozen of course,
but by the time 1t has been frozen and
thawed out few times, its flavor Is gone,
if indeed, the flesh has not become posi-
lively offensive
A iewelcr told me that it was not to the
rich be made the most sales Even of
diamonds and other jewels they do not
buy their share. Beside a5 it may seem
the heavy profits are not in such things.
A big diamond is like q gold dollar in its
uniformity OF value 1t is apt to cost us
much in one shape us in another. Tho
little trinkets, the So and Sl0 rings, pins
and bracelets are the articles on which the
dealer makes big profit. They cost
twice AS much in u fashionable shop MS in
q humble place. They are often expensive
because they are passing fashions and of
transitory vogue, Next year they maybe
almost worthless. This trade Is largely
curtailed in rainy season.
Many IL dealer has come out of his
Christmas experience money out OF pocket
and with quantity Of stuff on his hands
of no value to anybody but tho scavengor,
Christmas will come on Friday and If
Wilmington could have u bright sunny
and reasonably cold Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday, with the moon
shining brightly at night there would be
a happy lot of men and women on Market
and King streets ready to give thanks
from fall heart and a full purse. But
if it rains woe to the luckless retailer.