The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-07
A Juror OF
WHIT |: II E. !; S A A L
This Mornings Iii /. Paper !pI is1FuII
Of Them Without Snow.
Broad Street Will Be
Thoroughly
To-Morrow.

Judging from the advertisements
throughout this morning paper, a little
history Of the white sale Will not so
amiss. From whence this white sale
originated is not known, but it was first
brought into prominence several years
ago by the famous La Bon kNIarche store
in Paris. and was called the White
Occasion.''s The idea was first adopted
in America by john Wanamaller. OF Phil
adelphia, and has since been spread
broadcast throughout the United States,
it being genuine feature of the January
sales The idea Of the white sale"
requires virtually a years preparation.
Orders for underwear given far in adj
vance are accepted by the manufacturer
Switzerland must be made TO order. and
requires eight months work after orders
are accepted.
The great department stores of the
United states have men of vast ability
at large salaries to study other mer-
chants methods. styles. advertisements
and adopt any feature which vii. prove
profitable or to the betterment of their
business, and this fact is due a great
deal to the success of these stores. These
days any merchant who attempts to
originate every idea himself is a small
man indeed, and is apt to fall backwards
in the race for> advancement
in the city of Richmond by the Meyers,
FousEec and Broad streets, and it is
told their mastering of every detail of
the conducting of these sales have met
with SO much success In Richmond. A
visit to the Meyer store Saturday night
after 10 o'clock was revelation. to any
one who had been in there Friday. for
the store had been transformed to a maze
Of Wilderness. We saw orders dated
January, 1899. ana the invoices for these
same goods billed from the factory De-
cember 26, 1899.
Every show-window. twenty-eight in
number. on the upper and lower tiers
facing Broad and Foushee streets. have
been decorated in white materials with
the exception of one, which represents an
odd time cotton 1lill OF the South with
its antiquated water wheel.
The manager of the Meyer store im-
pressed us with the idea that so much
labor in decorating windows and store
with this white idea would hardly be
worth the trouble had not every depart
ment been appraised nearly year ago
that on a certain date in January he
must be prepared TO offer specialtieS in
new goods in Whit. and the thorough
ness of the carrying out of this plan VIII
be apparent to visitors to the Meyer
store any day this month. The only
drawback to these sales, said the mana
ger, is the fact that a few days before
the opening of the white sale it is APP
parent 10 any casual observer at Meyers
that the white sale is to begin. and by a
quick gathering together what white stuff
happens to be in the house, white sales
get to be the rage. When eXtrava gantly
large assortments are seen in the Never
store, people readily recognize what a
true white sale is-the first of the sea-
sons offerings in everything that is new
in the white world We wish the Meyers
much success with the white sale of 1900.
and hope it may: fall to their lot that
every person within reach of the store
will see the results of so much enter
prise. @