The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-17
Curious InnttensIen to Customers in
 London shops. s

| mere Is much in EnBianu Wuich " '
 haps can best be spoken of as "our
 ways" pedantic and grown up with us. These are entitled, no doubt, to con- | sideration from n historian, but they
 are not exactly what Is called 'busl- | ness,D and they hamper and Impede us | when we place ourselves in competition
 with the rising nations. In the course of many wanderings over London dur l Ing the last year have stumbled upon
 'our ways at every corner, and l am
 not surprised that our industries ian- | guish. The shops are not ready m I time for customers. Even on Satur- day, when the housekeeper is stocking l up specially for Sunday. she haas to na-
 vigate through pails and brooms, and
 upset many a boy who Is blocking the doorway with his pipe-ciay. t3.s .sS The shops are badly arranged Tor | business. The entrance is filled with goods. customer can hardly pass l in as one passes out, and the doorway \ Is monopolized by the message hoy with 8 basket on each arm and one on his head. If there be an inconvenient cor | ner there you will find scales, parcel /, paper and cash desk. Even in the large l fashionable shops two perhons cannot stant to pay without, blocking the way | for twenty who want to buy, and the cash boy, generally youngster, has | novel on his desk. The other day paid a visit to butchers shop at 9:Se a. m. l was the only customer in the l place. As I entered the butcher took no notice of me. but continued to chop at some bones on a table. went
 nearer. No answer. Somewhat amused, l waited in silence. Not until every
 bone on that table was chopped and
 thrown into a box did I receive the slightest attention. Then, when went to the ickct to pay. madam was still at breakfast and I was requested to walt.
 Eventually left some money and sent for the change in the afternoon. On
 another occasion wanted my roast
 cut in a special manner. He looked
 sharply at me, but I was hrn. Yes.
 please, but it this way Madam re-
 piled my man, with butcheriy dignity.
 T have been in this husiness for fifty
 years, and my father before me. I
 have never cut q roast in that fashion
 and I am not going to learn now" This completed my chagrin I did not go
 near him again. In a grocer's my att
 tentfon was attracted to an assistant
 who was fumbling with a scoop and a
 narrow neck canister. The canister
 would have shown up well in an antique museum. but 1t and the scoop
 were not made for each other. In
 taking my order at the corunter the 
 ment. He said. apologetieally. He
 has plenty of scoops, but he never
 knows where they are" al
 London bread Is delicious but London bakers don't want to sell too much of It, and they are somewhat stubborn on the point. On. two occasions I asked a driver to call at certain address for orders. With courtesy he took down the order both times. A third time l met him and once more reminded him. Ills reply was. T can5t call at any more houses in this terrace: 1 must be around the corner at Ii a. m." Tn my fish shop wa waited on by three men at time. The first receives my order and hands me over to another. who takes my money and passes me on to 3 third, who notes instructions as to ad- dress. the whole thing being perform ed with almost sacerdotai ceremonial. But all three are capable of sending the fish in time.
 I asked a stationer for music maga- zine He had not got it.. I asked him to order 1t for me, Taking few min utes to weigh the trouble against the profit, he cooliy replied: NO. It is n little out of my line" Another sta. tioner had ordered 2 book for me. Az ter waiting In patience for some weeks. called for explanations. was obliged to tell the whole thing to each of the three shopmen--title, price, date of order, etc, and expressed some sur prise at the delay. No one of them ap- peared to know anything about my order, nor did they seem to care. On a parallel with this Is a visit I paid to a fashionable photographer to arrange for sitting. Going at the appointed time. only four days later, was re- ceived by the Identical person with whom I had made the appointment. Good morning" said this person, in stately manner. I returned the conn pliment adding, T believe this is the morning for my appointment" What appointmentT' asked this dragon, look ing daggers at my impertinence. T don't know of any appointment Name, please?" Oh I replied, T am not in the habit of repeating my name; but do not trouble, my cab Is waiting for me-" And my departure did not cause one wrinkle on the dragons face.
 My little butter and egg shop Is spot 1 less. I like to deal there. and enjoy | the joke of the man stamping the eggs | on the day they were sold, instead of when laid; and the shop is a branch of a large dairy company, limited. No wonder 1t is obleged to sell English | butter at twopence a poung cheaper | than foreign. An old gentleman at | tends to me courteously when l want |
 
 befogged letters, read, 'Established in 1s44." and there he Is still, with his apron on and his poor old hands purple | with cold. l should not advertise the 1S44 part of 1t if I were he.
 A Canadian In half that time would be driving his pair in the park. Hav- ing left an umbrella in a cab I was | advised to repair to Scotland Yard the official rendezvous for such things. of umbrellas and walking sticks were awaiting their owners, in a cabinet filled with deep. broad shelves. so arranged that most of the examination had to be performed on ones hands and knees! Some repairs being mode on a property. hand cart of sand lay near. the front very low and the back cery high A man was shoveling from the back, the high end, and from the level of his shoulder. The more he shovelled the less sand he got, but he did not see the joke. The curi- osities of humanity who sweeps the streets in London afford me no small amusement Their brooms are strong and in good condition. but the handle Is adjusted to such an angle that the nore the man sweeps the more does the mud go the wrong way, namely. up nto the broom. instead of away from t. For every sweep four or Ave good hard dumps are required to clear the broom. Children playing in the mud.
 Ii seems as if we cling to our pTeju- lices frem sheer desperation. Nearly I'll every street in London is still num- Jered up one side and down the other. H wen such thoroughfares as Baker Street, the Strand. Piccadiily and Bond Bond Street too. The arge concert halls Issue monthly pro