Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-15
CONTINUOUS SHOPPING.
Telephone Keeps the Big Department Stores IN
Constant Touch With Patrons.

ardrr and sh" sails lit half past H..
70" VIII you have these things or =,
the wharf for me-" Il SCENE ~.
ladht single article Of mourning n
ms possession. Then ne gave thc in
tefehtlliS 'hi"rErtinn that he was -.
his country house, forty miles On, =.
town until min: O'Clock. lie fornd ;,
things waiting for him at the vb,rs
But the best story ILLUSTRATING 81.
Value Of the innovation is that concnrr
Ing the bri'ie who woke up with 4, y,.,,
on the eve of her marriage-fnr .L
lad discovered that there WAC mn NM.
In her trOuSScau. She had I'm mind ~
course the Old saying that q 49,
should wear something old ana sou
thing new. something borrowed .,,1
something blue" The first thiny \,
the morning She ransaCked the hnu.a
but in vain. Then she began IL raoI
blu". She wept with ~ mother "A,
then with the maid, ana finally th.v
partly comfortcd her by pooh poohIns
her superstition; and there was 4 puz'
Zlmg twinkle in the mothers eye.
At quarter Of nine, just rs the brill.
WAS starting for the church. "A mpssen
ger from one of he big stores rang II.
bell and delivered 4 box containing
turquoise pin. a gift from her mother
"That's your FIRST surprise Of the dav"
said the mother. and hope ali the
others will bring YOU as much happi-
ness"
"But-but-huw did you know rnn.
there" IN" happy girl inquired
Il thought of il when l got ny ,ut
five o'clock this flur1.tug vL.,
you Were asleep. and 1 t,!, puuuci IA, +.
The name OF th-a store doesn't matter.
but. anyhow. the night telephone sery.
ice saved the day.
II seems that The idea has been bar
ticularly welcomed by III, Jr-upl,. who
20 out Of town for the summer. for
these people, IS o ar" confronted with
50 many sudden d,mauds connected
with the entertainment 81 guests, ara
almost entirely dependent upon the en-
terprise of the metro Olitan stores.
Since the lines of the Bell system have
been extended into the forests and
mountains ana along the beaches, few
summer resorts are 100 remote To make
shopping by telephone impossible.
Lately, during the night, man who
summers at the aCiStOcratIc North
Shore. which a famous Wag once dc-
Scrrbcd as cold roast Boston" learned
from. his Chauffeur shat cloth for the
automobile cover was needed. II had
been planned to start on 4 tour the fol
lowing noon. An immediate telephone
message TO Boston secured the delivery
of the cloth ut 10 O'clock in the morn
inpp these .istJ
ed to by the heads of departments just
as soon as the stores open. If Their.
We're no night telephone service the
cloth for the auto would probably not
have been delivered until late in the
day. In many cases II hours are
gained by the service.
The biggest department store in the
city prints the following notice in il,
daily advertisement:
TELEPHONE SERVICE DAY AkD
NIGHT
Day Number - Oxford
Night Number - Oxford
Night orders for goods sent, if in
stock. on first morning delivery. In
quiries or complaints received at any
time; prompt attention and satisfac-
adjustment dSSuTcu Ill eaCn par
ticular case.
One of the managers Of tie store, lis
cusSing the idea, said that an impor.
tant feature OF the night telephone
service is the relief ii affords to patron,
whose orders have not been delivered
promptly. You know how it is" he
remarked, "when bedtime comes and
the promised goods have not arrived
you are apt to worry and onder where
they are. Formerly you had TO go to-
bed still worrying, and maybe you lost
sleep on account Of il. Now YOU can
call us up and the night clerk makes
note of your complaint ami the matter
Is attended To the first thing in the
morning. Then. when the trouble is
discovered, We telephone You about il.
Nine times out Of ten il is simply n lie
lay, but once in 4 while things &,
astray; 50 if You telephone In at nign:
the trouble is righted III the sooner.
This night telephone service il
bound to become one Of the big
branches Of our business. II meets AL
sorts Of emergencies. To be appreciated
il only needs TO be understood
Emergency or no emergency. shop
ping nj night by means of the telc-
phone is fast becoming the rage in
Boston. One of the Beacon Hill poets
has written some verses on the subject,
the refrain of which goes:
''She shops by day
And shops by night.
She's ever shopping while she Slr,p g
For the huSy clerk his vigil keeps
She's the happicst soul alive
Seriously. the night telephone service
has already in many Instances proved
itself novel blessing. 1t saves time
ana money and particularly the nerv-
Gus strain that, according to Or.
Holmes, is worse than The measles.