New-York tribune., 1900-07-01
rHE WARY BUYER AND THE Willy GREEK.
HOW TO GET GOOD CHERRIES CHEAP FROM
THE PUSHCART MAN.

THE PUsHCART MAN.
The pushcart man sells cherries cheap but
there are tricks in his trade. The knowing
buy er with open eyes can secure excellent fruit
ia these days at prices far below those of the
grocer and fruiterer, but the unwary purchaser
will find out if he even has sense to frd OUT
anything at all about it, that he is getting
much as little less for his money than if he
bought of his regular dealer. One who has
learned to fear the Greek when he all but gives
away cherries has discovered the secret of get
ting his moneys worth and thus reveals it:
Il commented at home on the beautiful Cali
forna cherries 1 in the streets and the next
day my wife, eager with enthusiasm to get
anything l liked, had some On the table l asked
what she had to pay for them. and she said:
'Twenty-ff five cents pound
Il became very superior. Why, 1 could get
them on the street just good at u cents.
What kind of a grocer did she have to cheat her
like that? She ought to buy from the pushcarts
al money.
We'll. the next day she did bring in a bag
from the street, but VIII hAn she got in remarked
that there did not seem to be as much of them
as the day before. So we weighed those cheap
cherries to find that they just half what
she paid for
"Of course she said that was what buying of
GERS hereafter. And of course 1 said it was
only what came of not knowing how to buy.
People with their eyes open wouldn't let them
selves be cheated. I'd do some marketing my
self the next day and show her
Market did Luckily for my reputation her
experience led me TO keep my eyes open unusu-
ally wide. Otherwise her view of pushcarts
would have been justified. Finding a barrow of
cherries 1 ordered some and watched The
Greek put on the right weight and filled up the
tin scoop till it balanced. 1t seemed all right
till it occurred to that the scale had not
been balanced for the scoop beforehand the
wary pedler keeping a weight on the scale all
the time. l looked about and saw half hidden
among his bags, the iron ring made for the
weight side of the scale when the scoop is on the
other. Saying nothing l picked it up and put
1t in its place. The pedler looked surprised and
then apologetic He stammered, Oh l forgot
to put that on and dumped more cherries into
the scoop So l took my purchase home in
triumph, found it full weight, and basked in
the reputation of superior masculine wisdom.
'Since then, however, l have been watching
the cherry barrows and Invariably find the
scale with tin scoop, but without the balancing
ring. One fellow of whom | bought since
scowled when l told him to put it on. but did
it. Another OBJ. cted and said that the price
would be highe- for such weights. He couldn't
afford to sell at that price and give full pounds.
1 pointed to his sign, and he surrendered but
with much disgust. as several other customers
were by and learned to demand true weight
I've seen dozens of the pedlers since all cheating
in the same way evidently in accordance with
a system. As the most Of their sales are pound
and half pound bags to people who want just
few to eat, of course there is a large profit
in the short weight. The little bags contain
only about half the amount of fruit paid for
The wary purchaser, however, can get full meas
ure of excellent fruit from the carts and he
need not be squeamsh in demanding the utter
most cherry for the pedlers purchase them at