The sun., 1900-08-04
THE PARIS EXPOSITION
French Capital a Paradise for
Women and Dogs, He'll
for Horses.
CUSTOMERS ARE "SIZED UP" !"
The SUMS Correspondent at the
Great Exposition Tells How
Americans Do Their
Shopping in
Parts.
CUSTOMERS ARE "SIzED UP" !"
From The SUMS Regular Correspondent.

From The SUMS Regular Correspondent.
Paris, France. July 23.-Paris has been
Justly called "a Paradise for women and
dogs, hell for horses" One of the chief
attractions of the city to the feminine
heart consists undoubtedly in those deli-
cate productions OF art and industry, in
Guiding dresses, millinery, jewelry, art
goods and ric.a-brac, for which Paris is
famous.
There are certainly an enormous num-
ber OF stores and shops in the city. They
line the streets in all quarters in count
less thousands. There are many more
establishments in proportion to the
population than in American cities, but
with the exception of few notable ones
they are very small affairs. AS Gus
tomary thing the room OF shop is not
larger than an average sized room OF an
American house. The stock OF goods
carried is very small. While the men of
the family are engaged in bureau posi-
| tions the women, the wife and daughters
tend the shop. At the noon hour or at
six o clock the visitor to the shop will /
find the whole family at meal either in
little room adjoining the shop or in the
salesroom ITSELF
The excessively retail character of the
mercantile system Of Paris may be partly |
accounted for as follows: There is in |
vogue system of buying in small guam
titles which keeps alive the small dealer |
In the United States family will think |
nothing OF putting into its cellar, in the |
| fall, couple of barrels OF potatoes, one
barrel of apples and other vegetables in
proportion. Sugar also and other grocer
les are purchased in some quantity. In
| Paris family buys for each days wants
a couple of dozen potatoes a small bag
of sugar not larger than salt bag, etc.
This method of buying is made neces-
sary for all perishable articles by the fact
that there is no cold storage among mer-
chants or in private houses. Scarcely
any ice is taken by families and refrig
orator is an article Of furniture five times
more rare than piano. Again there is
no city in the world perhaps where the
servant class is so numerous and SO high
ly organized and where the toll OF this
class is taken SO much as matter Of
course as 10 Paris. The labor which con-
tinual buying in small quantities occas-
sions falls chiefly upon the servant class
and thence excites no comment and
awakens no idea of change. In addition
to this, as we have seen, the shops are
chiefly tended by women who make this
In the ordinary districts of Paris the
streets contain at the corners wine shops
and restaurants. In succession between
these there are always the bakeries, cake
shops, creameiies, butcher shops, clean
ers and, more rarely, furniture dealers,
stationers, picture trainers, etc, ETC.,
One misses the banks on the principal
corners as in America. The barber shop
has not striped pole but bright brass
E dish swinging in the wind. Tobacco is
{ manufactured only by the State and is
+ sold only under public control. The
/, street sign is red lamp. Wherever to-
bacco is sold stamps may be bought.
{ A French merchant usually does not
{ deal with his customer on the basis of a
fixed scale Of prices as does an English
or an American merchant. Ii is an ex-
] ceptional store that has any prices
q marked III plain figures. Selling to a
Ii Partisan shop-keeper seems to be re-
garded as All exercise in practical psy-
choogy Every customer is sized up
and treated accordingly. Concessions in
price may be gotten by skill in manage
ment and by insstaace and force in
AZ bargaining. They show traits Of char
acter which hinder them from becoming
great traders in the worlds commerce
Out OF the mass Of petty shops in Paris
be few establishments rise into promin.
es ence by reason either Of their size OF
be elegance. The most elegant stores are tC
rd be found on the boulevards in the neigh
he borhood of the opera house. In thit
of vicinity one can find speciality houses
be dealing in jewelry or art goods or fans
laces, etc. The district corresponds t,
oy lower Fifth avenue and Broadway il
ay New York and to Regent street, in Lon
lis don. La these shopping districts NOR
frequently than elsewhere may be seei
the announcement "Engish spoken.
Beware OF this sign and enter not for
ay vertisement once posted by an American
De- merchant, Don't go elsewhere to b
ey cheated, come in here"
lrn AT the top of the storekeeper's worl
in are dozen or more large departmer
ge- stores most of which have grown up i
r, recent years in imitation of the 'Bo
Marche." One can enumerate th
Louvre, Printemps, Samasitaine, Bel
Jardiniere and Pygmalion. There al
several more. In methods these estal
vas lishments resemble in many ways th
iay department stores of the larger cities
lat our own country.
ay. In none of them can an America
ere breath treer or feel safer than in the a,
ny mlraDle bon Marche. This ls the large
geo Of the stores of Paris and is preeminel
for fair and courteous dealing. The O
gsnization possesses points of interes
The capital stock is entirely in the han,
eli OF 274l employees or former employees.
me savings fund is laid by each year out
ex. the earnings Of the concern. The pc
hot sions of the establishment amounted la
NO year to nearly S33, 900 and were dist
buted to POS persons A reserve fund
now being accumulated to build hor
for disabled employees.
A home ie furnished for girls who ha
S3l not families in Paris and another
div maintained for young men. In the
! Of homes regular hours are prescribe
i to Rent is free and two meals are Civ
in a each peason daily at the expense of t
house.
In many other ways the health a
welfare of the force is cared for. The
. are classes in bookkeeping and others
TAIL English. The best pupils in Engli
rtly each year are sent to England for sol
yed months free of expense. There is mu
utes cal society for which the house proviC
by rooms and instruments and for VIII,