Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-25
Christmas Tay This Year Finds Local
Merchants Satisfied.
TILE STOCK LEFT IN SOME LINES
Large Crowd Of Eager Buyers Thrones the
Streets Monday,
EARLY SHOPPING HELPS THINGS SOME
ENpresswen and Messengers Boys
Work Hard at Might and Are Up
Bright and Early In the
Morning,

Tor business in the history Of the city, say
men in all lines of retail trade in Omaha.
From early morning until late at night
Monday the eager crowds of shoppers
thronged the streets and surged in and out
of the stores. Some had forgotten some
little present they intended to give and
were rushing madly to find It at the last
moments others, with habitua habits OF
procrastination, had not been to buy any
thing at all and had dozens of presents
to select the last day. The crowds in
the stores were so large that the shoppers
could not and did not expect to receive
the best attention, even though the hun
dreds of extra shop girls and men did
their very best. All was hurry and hustle
down the aisles OF the big department
stores and the same condition prevailed in
the little one-room shops
The day was an admirable one for shop
ping, not too warm and not too COOL and
many woman who had really finished her
Christmas buying a week or so before could
not resist the temptation to come down
town for one last hour or two. Had the
day not been so pleasant the trade might
not have been so large. As It was the
merchants say It was as good as it usually
is when Christmas eve comes on Saturday.
This rush Of trade had continued for ten
days and some declare that for even a
longer time than that their stores con-
tained absolutely as many people as they
could accommodate Last Saturday was
one Of the very biggest days in the history
Of local trade. Two or three other days
last week showed up a wonderfully large
volume OF trade. There have been really
no poor days since the dealers first placed
their Christmas stocks on sale.
Some Early shopping Done.
The campaign for early Christmas shop
ping has been in great measure sue
cessful. Men in all lines Of the retail
business testified to the truth Of this state
ment when asked for their opinion as the
| season was drawing to a close.
| There was more shopping done early
in the season this year than formerly"
said one. From the time we placed our
goods on display we had an excellent
business every day, and have no doubt
! this tendency to come early prevented a
complete congestion in the stores at the
very last The volume OF business has
been so much greater this year than ever
before that the people actually could not
have bought what they wanted, many Of
them. IL a large proportion Of them had
not come a week or two before the sea-
sons close.
Last years holiday season was an ex-
oellent one in this store. and yet there
is no comparison between It and this year.
I have talked with some OF the other mer-
chants and I find this expression 10 be
universal If the local retailers cannot
find in this Christmas happy culmina-
tion Of a remarkably prosperous twelve
month, they are, indeed an ungratefuI
class of people.
Speaking Of the early shopping, trust
ana believe the merchants will keep the
agitation going. It takes years to educate
people along any line, and they have been
buying at the last chance so LONG they
VIII not be won away from that custom
for several years. We have good start
this year. though, and we can do still
better another year. Each one who has
come early this season finds herself so
pleased that she becomes a living advocate
Of the idea and puts in a few words for
1t every time her friends tell what a terri
BILE time they had buying their Christmas
things
Stocks Much Depleted.
Seasonable stocks were very sadly de-
pleted when the lights were put out in the
stores Monday night. In fact they were
sadly depleted some of them, several davs
ago, and when Monday night came there
was absolutely nothing lert In some lines
In the fall the merchants laid in what
they considered a sufficient supply, but
even their greatest experiences were ex-
ceeded by the sales and their supplies
hardly lasted to the end.
An estimate OF the increase over last
year would be dificult 10 make Some
merchants say 20 per cent and some run
as high as 80 per cent, but at any rate the
Increase was indeed generous. Perhaps the
greatest Increase is repOrtd by the tewelry
stores, some Of which have almost doubled
their sales OF year ago. Said one OF
the jewelers.:
"The way people are buying jewelry
these days would have been a riddle a few
years ago. Why. they think no more OF
paying $50 for a necklace now than they
thought five years ago Of paying s. for a
watch with a silver case. Diamonds, pearls
and all sorts OF costly ornaments have
gone at great rate this season. II this
high tide of prosperity lasts. everybody
will be rich in few years"
1t was the same way In other lines; the
shoppers spent readily and they bought the
best OF articles. Perhaps never before
was the call for high grade goods mora
universal. II was a certain evidence OF
general prosperity that a great portion OF
poorer goods is still laying on the shelves,
while the high class stun is gone, But
then. the dealers were wise and didn't buy
very much Of the cheap grades.
Delivery of the Goods.
} The shop people were not the only tired
ones Monday. To say nothing OF the
the shoppers themselves. the street car
men, the mail man, the expressman and
the messenger boys, were all but worn
out. The poor messenger boys were on
the hop from morning until midnight, many
of them working sixteen hours instead OF
their usual ten. They had TO do t. for
messenger boys were scarce and calls on
them for service were the sands OF
: the sea. First one went 10 TAX package
} 10 one part OF the town from a jewelers..
; then he went 10 another part OF the city
with something from a drug store, then
r he went 10 stlI another district with a
! package sent by young man 10 his sweet