The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-03-25
CASTING CHECKS
!, FOR STRANGERS
a Credit Man Tells of the Dif.
ficulties of "SlzIng
Them Up"
iALUE OF A GOOD FRONT
Stores Take Chances on Immenst
Amounts, Judging by the Looks,
Clothes, Etc, Of Those Who
Present the Paper.

bSoSIIe sio oPSl
New York Sun: %Supposing 1t was
your business. day In and day cut, year
IN and year out, to pass upon the trust
worthiness Of folks who wanted to buy
things without paying for ~them-with-
out paying cash, that is to say. Suppose
that a steady stream Of such people
were passing before you all day long,
retail buyers, whose financial standing
n habits would be pretty difficult to
determine with any approach to &C
curacy-how would you size 'em up?
Would you judge largely by their
clothes? Would you permit yourself to
be guided by their manners? Would
you join the physiognomists and try
to read their faces?
And If you did all of these things,
having cooked all these impressions up
together and removed the scum, would
you be likely to get the clear essence
OF 20. k or IN. G." In most cases?
In every big department store there
are a keen Witted man and a keen wit
ted assistant who sit in an office mark
ed Department Of Accounts" and a
large part of their time is spent in just
this kind of chemistry. 1t must be that
IN a vast majority of cases they are
correct in their deductions; otherwise
the system wouldn't be pursued.
n being true. they surely may be
regarded as among the best Of the
lightning calculators of human char
acter.
We have to Judge largely by ap-
p~earances in many cases." said n Of
these credit experts a few days ago
For example, one Of the cOmmonest
transactions in Jul business is the
cashlng Of checks for people whom
we don't know.
Women come here every day, es-
pecially women from the south who are
visiting and shopping in New York.
They have brought checks with them
from home and they ask US to sell them
goods, deduct the amount of their pur-
chases and give them the balance in
cash.
They're good buyers, too, because
they buy enough at one time to last
for a long time and their trade can't be
overlooked or neglected. We cash from
$4,000 to $4,000 worth Of such checks
acre every day, and that comes in the
course Of a year pretty we'll on to ST.
90, 900.
Nov how are we to Judge? The
matter must be decided quickly; tho
woman can't wait for the long process
OF inquiry that would establish her
credit to q certainty. Such slender in
formation as she is able to give us and
we are able to verify in the necessary
limit Of time might easily be mislead-
ing.
Il think in such cases It's the face
and the manner that count most in the
decision: And, Of course, the wolnan's
1ress Is a factor, too. If our observa-
don tells us that she Is probably wha
.ha n VIC o1,o i~ 70 Ia, 1>@1 ~ -fr to o~~
hdent, her clothes in good taste, her
IeWelry not too prOfuse, we take the
chance. She buys what she wants, In
lorses her check over to us and departs
with the money in her hand.
Experience has proved that we can
afford to do business on this basis, so
we keep on doing it. The checks hat
with the other ordinary losses, and
when the whole account Is reckoned
up, the good so far outweighs the bad
that there Is as much profit in this
kind Of trade as in any Their.
That's only one way in which we
have to depend IN snap Judgment.
There are people living right here in
town whose credit is just as problem
atical as that Of the transient shop.
pers from the south and West-men
and women whose amount n sources
Of income are not susceptible Of proof,
and who may be either the most re-
spcnsible or the most irresponsible Gus
.orners.
1--WE can learn, of course, whether
they pay for their current living, but
that is not conclusive. The man who
keeps square with the market and the
grocery doesn't necessarily pay his dry
goods bill.
Its the easiest thing in the world
for people to let their department store
,ooo,, rot uyov hnunr1 thnj~ jptnr-
tons. Many a person who thinks he
has had $50 worth Of goods charged in
a month finds that he has really ran
up an account Of 500. Then IL he
has only $50 on hand to meet it, the
question arises, will he curtail his out
go and make good on the other $50, or
will he continue to spend more than
he has and default on the whole thing?
There again the department store is
taking chances, and there again the
external evidences of character are
Important factors in the credit mans
Judgment.
People sometimes ask me whether
I make differences from a persons
clothes, and my answer is that I judge
from the face and manner but I US
ually find al honest face and a frank
name in partnership with honest
clothes.
Honest clothes? Does thai seem
whimsical? Well. there is such a thing
Us honest apparel, and dishonest, too.
1.-The man whose voice rings true and
who looks you fair in the eye is likely
to be well dressed. The same orderly
habit that regulates his business af-
fairs governs his raiment. When he
needs a new garment his forehanded-
ness has enabled him to buy it. He
preserves the same proportion IN dress
as In other matters. Good character
| gOod sense and good taste usually dwell
under one Jacket"
Tvs pants" Stories.