Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-09-30
ALL NIGHT SHOPPING.
The Latest Way In which Big stores
Use the Telephone.


The Boston fishermen. whose fleet Is
the largest that sails 10 any fishing
ground from an American port,
laughed when they read the recent
report that a Norwegian has invented
u telephone by means OF which the
noise made by fish In the depths of
the sea can he heard. still some OF
these fishermen have learned the truth
Of the saying that wonders never
cease. and they will not 20 so far as
To scoff ut the idea that the telephone
may yet lie fixed feature of fie fish
ing industry. They have received with
equanimity the decision Of one big mer-
chant To furnish his ships with steam
travis. and as for the telephone. they
must have read lately 10y the light Of
people In Boston are shopping at night
by telephone.
The night telephone shopper was first
heard of In Boston last year, but IL
was not until this year that all the
big department stores found II advis-
able To adopt the novelty. Nowadays
the big Boston merchants print ms a
feature Of their daily advertisements
the announcement that their patrons
would do well to take advantage OF the
night telephone service. which Is in
tended not only to meet emergencies,
but to facilitate the correction of mis-
takes.
Generally an emergency that arises
at night Is of u most serious nature
For example. there Is the demand for a
doctor. for clergyman. for the police.
for firemen, and these demands the
telephone has served SO long that the
public In general thinks nothing about
IL. But sometimes a death comes into
house late at night aud the mourn
ers find themselves without proper
apparel Here Is an emergency In
which the telephone has not been Of
service heretofore. but 1t Is one that
the night telephone In the department
store can serve. A call sent to one OF
the big stores Is attended TO the first
thing In the morning. and In this sim
pie manner the mourners dispose OF u
matter that ordinarily Is the cause Of
considerable confusion and delay.
One Of the managers of Boston de-
partment store says that the night tele-
phone clerk has some queer expert
enccs. In the first place. upon him
falls the burden OF complaints from
people who had expected their pur-
s,I, oil
noon or evening and who. through
some unavoidable combination OF cir
cumstanccs. were forced to retire for
the night without having the pleasure
of unwrapping the bundles aud exhibit
ing their contents. Sometimes, too. a
woman who Is going ont OF town early
In the morning sees the night before In
her paper an advertisement Of some
thing she wants very much and which
will be sold ut special sale. say In the
morning. In days gone by she would
either have had to put herself under
obligations 10 some friend to make the
purchase for her or she would have had
to lose the opportunity altogether. Now
she neither loses the opportunity nor
embarrasscs friend. for. calling up
the night telephone clerk. she leaves
her order. with the assurance that 1t
will have special attention as soon as
the store opens.
Frequently people who have left
town In the afternoon. after having
forgotten 10 buy some needed article.
telephone In To have Il sent to them
The first thing In the morning. In
dozen other ways the night telephone
service In the department store Is prov
Ing It's usefulness and the managers OF
the stores expect that as soon as the
public more fully understands the new
arrangement calls will come thick and
fast during the still watches Of the
night.