The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-17
HOW THEY HUSTLE
Topeka Merchants Never So
Busy as This Tear.
Christmas Trade Starts Earlier
Than Before.
1T is TOO SMALL.
Jones Dry Goods Company Need
Mere Room.
Many New Things in Santa
Claus Supplies.
IS TOO SMALL.

Dis Heurishing letters in the iedgeTs Of
the merchants along Kansas avenue.
and other streets. He has been IN town
some time and though he has been GEN
orally known to be about he has not
forced himself so upon the public AZ
t tention as within the last ten days. The
Christmas trade this year is something
immense. This is the verdict Which
the merchants aleng Kansas avenue
rendered as the result of a series of in
| teFviews. snatched between -znoments
of relaxation from the onrush of buy
ers.
i The general facts OF the trade are
these: that never before has the holiday
shopping commenced so early. that the
purchasing is Of goods of superior quail
i itys and that percentage Of increase is
in excess Of anything for years past.
Said the manager of The Jones Dry
/ Goods Co; This store has never ex-
/ peFieneed such an immense business.
! We have found the building we occupy
entirely too small to handle the great
I crowds. Another difficulty we had was
! the help. We planned on a big scale
and had many extra sales people, yet
/ the business was so enormous, so much
/ larger than oul plans called for, at
/ times we have not been able to give
! good service. This will be remedied
this week as a large squad of extra
salespeople viii be added The week,
ending Saturday night was the largest
IN the history of this business. We find
that Topeka people are pleasant to deal
with and treat the people behind the
counter with consideration, which is
not the case in many cities. The store
Will keep open every evening this week,
and with extra people, we hope to be
a bic to wait on every customer to their
satisfaction. If all the stores have had
an equally satisfa Glory business, they
viii surely be glad they are Topeka
merchants"
4 have never seen trade commence
Sc early" said Walter Thompson of
Thompson Brothers Furniture COM
pany who has been in business in To-
peka for % years past. THE business
done this year compares very favOrabl
indeed with that of the very best years
for g years past"
IF that money had been paid out from
the First National bank before Christ
mas said &. II. Crosby. there actually
would have been no bounds to the size
of the trade in the last three weeks.
Think of the amount of money that
would have been let loose in Topeka
Some would have spent Just in the JOY
of being able to spend it. The peculiar
+ thing about this trade is that it has
commenced so early. Ordinarily the
crowds of Christu come during the
last week but this year we are having
them the two weeks before. I believe
they are getting educated into the idea
of making their selections earlier. We
are glad of it because it distributes the
rush over s. length of time. I should
estimate our increase over the cores
pOnding time last year at 20 to so vser
cent. The departments vary, some
show a larger increase than others.
There is probably not so great a pur-
chase of the more staple lines ia our
business as there would be If the
I Wa drift
the other way towards the fancier lines.
This fine weather which we have been
having has certainly brought out the
people. I have scarcely ever seen the
like They not only come but they buy.
The purchases which are being made
are for larger amounts too
people are getting more sensible in
their Christmas purchases each sue
ceeding year" said Warren NJ. Crosby.
fsFhey are buying useful things this
year; things that can be appreciated
aGd utilized. There is very little of
thEs purchasing of gimcraekS 1t is
along straight legitimate lines, good
goods I don't care how much we have
increased over last year but we are
more than satisfied with what we are
doing"
J. ". Robinson of Robinson, Mar
shall & Co. said: "The season this
year seems to be about a month
earlier. We sold bath robes and that
/ class of goods as early as the latter
day season of past years such sales as
that were not made until the middle
of December. Christmas trade has
been given an impetus in the past few
days which it has not had and I be-
lieve that it will continue right up to
Christmas. AS far as we are con-
cerned the percentage of increase is
way ahead of that of last year. This
means something, too, for the stock
| carried now is larger. Colder wealth.
/ er would, I believe, have more spirit
ed effect on trade and would tend to
force people to buy SEINE of the heav-
Ter character of goods
There has been nothing like It. The
simple truth is that Topeka and Kan
sas are prosperous" said H. H. Glenn
of the Fair department store 1.-THE
corn and wheat crops have been some
, | thing great and We are getting our
share OF 1t now in this Christmas
trade, People who usually spend a
few dollars are spending two and
The goods they buy is of better quail
ity, too. It's not SO cheap because
= they can afford to pay more"
: The Palace Clothing company have
exceeded their expectations. Larger
/ crowds and cash purchases are char
acteristic Of the gift buying crowds ae-
cording to the viewpoint of the man
agement of the Palace. The Felix
; Clothing company has had a similar
Mr.. ~. w. Mills of the Mills Dry
Goods company, said: IF the FRS
National bank would pay a little divi-
) dend, I believe the people would buy
I as out before we could get a shipment
The trade has been steady and heavy
Up to date the sales have been more
each day than they were for the cor
> responding day last year, and I expect
a much larger business next week. The
trade is particularly heavy on the use
full presents, such as rugs, table linen
blankets and other articles of the kind
q which make suitable holiday presents
4 The medium temperature which
: prevails has given a certain trend tc
I the character of the purchases which
a freezing weather would not have given