The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-06-04
IN LONDON,
Methods of the Big Stores In the
English Metropolis.
TRICKS OF THE MILLINERS.
A Ruse That Was Met by Clever
Counter Ruse-The Agitating Ex-
periences OF an American Woman
Who Was Looking For Bargains.


Who Was Looking For Bargains.
In American shops the establishment
and the customer are separate entities.
The firm displays its wares; the buyers
examine them and purchase or not, as
they see fit.
In London it is different. The mo-
ment you enter the door of shop you
are accepted as part and parcel of its
interests. a member of the family, as
it were Then a shopwaiker pounces
upon you and insists on knowing what
you want If you hesitate as to your
reply. he plants himself squarely in
front of you and waits. When, in
sheer desperation for you had intend
ed happy. aimless sort of looking
about, you say gloves he grasps
your arm. firmly marches you TO the
glove counter, seats you at it and de-
tails a salesperson to wait upon you.
All this happened to me, and in an
exasperated frame of mind l bought a
pair Of gloves merely to keep peace in
the family, but the bland and gentle
manly glove seller had no notion of let
ting me off so easily. He took it for
granted that that first pair was simply
by way of preface, and he displayed
gloves of my size of all styles and col
ors. The very foregoneness Of his con-
clusion that | would buy them all irri-
tated me, and, briefly announcing that
l wanted no more gloves, / paid him
for the pair I had bought. Surprised
and grieved beyond expression he
beckoned the shopwalker and together
they cross examined me as to why l
refused to buy more gloves. Did the
colors not suit me? Were the prices
not reasonable? Disdaining to answer
these questions, l endeavored to stalk
haughtily away, but this was not al
lowed More in sorrow than in anger
they told me ] must wait for my BILL
As the gloves were to be sent and I
had given the exact change l deemed
this unnecessary. but l soon found it
to be one of their memorable laws.
Bills. signed and countersigned, must
be waited for, no matter how trifiing
the purchase
The next thing 1 learned was that
the price asked is far from being the
real selling price of the article. /
cringed at the thought of offering )
guineas for seven guinea hat, but
soon learned that it was expected of
a customer and that the marked prices
We're merely amounts from which to
begin the dickering.
And the ruses resorted to by these
wicked milliners. In Mayfair is one
of the most fashionable millinery shops
in the world. Over the door gilt let
Of 70
Partisan names To this shop 1 went
for hat. Being very canny, 1 ex-
pressed great interest in several hats
which L knew l should not buy. AT
last / carelessly inquired the price of
a hat which had really charmed me
from the first. The price was s guineas
AS 1t bore four magnificent ostrich
plumes, this price was not exorbitant;
but, knowing the game, 1 bargained.
First / asked if they would call it
pounds instead of guineas. This meant
a reduction in price of only 8 shillings.
but the indignity q discovered) was
beyond all words With a scathing
glance the saleslady Informed me that
they never sold by pounds in that shop.
and | stored away the knowledge fol
future use in suagger establishments.
Determined to beat them at their
own game. [ then offered guineas |
for the hat. This was met with ap
expressions of Mortified sur
prise. and as great concession II. |
guineas was proposed. 1 remained |
irm in my six guinea offer. and, after |
a feint of leaving the shop without |
buying a hat, it was reluctantly ac
cepted.
Then followed what I considered |
ruse of extreme cleverness on my part |
had been told that if l left a new hat |
to be sent home the milliner would |
change the trimming for others that |
looked the same, but We're of inferior |
quality. 1 had been advised, therefore |
on purchasing a hat to carry It away |
with me in order to prevent this. So |
remarked on paying for this hat that |
is l wished to wear it that very after
noon l would take it with me, the |
arge bandbox being easily managed in I
ny hanson cab. The saleslady kindly |
agreed to this plan and sent the hat |
Upstairs to be boxed.
After waiting fifteen minutes for the