The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-23
SHOP EARLY FOR
CHRISTMAS GIFTS
.------ $3.50
III People Would Purchase Early
1t Would Save the
Employees.
GIRLS FAINT FROM FATIGUE
Movement on Foot to Induce
GIRLS FAINT FROM FATIGUE.
Movement on Foot to Induce
Large Concerns to Pay Off a
Week Before Christmas.

AS the Christmas holidays come
| around year after year, those who
| join the happy throng that crowds the
street and jams the stores lose sight
of the fact that the clerks and shop
girls. especially the latter, are going
through with the hardest and most
nerve-racking experience that comes
to them in the whole year. The fatigue
of lady who spends a day of strenu-
Gus buying of Christmas presents in
the various retail stores Is nothing in
comparison to that of one of the jaded
girls who waited on her. OF course
the Christmas rush Is inevitable. but
by the exercise Of thought and consid-
Grafton 1t may be greatly mltigated
If the extra amount of shopping were
distributed over the weeks previous
to Christmas conditions would be i'm
proved beyond measure.
Not only those who work behind the
counters. but the men who run the big
stores would be benefited by the move.
Christmas day. which Is generally a
holiday. is almost Invariably spent in
Strengthening up their windows and
counters. so they will be presentable
when the store is opened the next
morning. After this is through with
the little time that is left is more
valuable for rest than for merriment
Help the CLERKS.
For several years the mercantile as
sociations Of the various large cities
have been conducting campaigns to in
duce shoppers to remember to keep in
mind the fact that IL they buy their
presents early they can do as much
good and cause as much joy to the
hardworked clerks as the presents they
buy for real objects Of charity. -
While conditions are, of course. worse
in the larger cities than in Richmond.
they are bad enough here. 1t is said
that in one OF the large stores in WASH
ington last Christmas, where there are
over zoo girls employed more than fifty
girls tainted while waiting on the i'm
mense crowd which thronged the store
throughout the day. In building In
which thousands are standing for hours
at the time. besides the work which Is
increased more than 100 per cent, the
air becomes so Initiated that the weaker
ones cannot stand it.
Pay or Earlier.
The large concerns which employ
hundreds of men and women can be
OF great service in lettering, the con-
dition of affairs They, MS rule, make
1t point to pay their employees directly
before Christmas, 80 as to enable them
to have their wages for the holidays.
If the men were paid off, say; week
before, and asked that they Instruct
their families to do their shopping
early. this would do away with large
part of the late crowd. For Instance,
this year perhaps the majority of the
manufacturers have set the Saturday
before Christmas as pay day. probably
after the days work is done; so the
money must be spent by their wives
and children on Monday and Tuesday
before Christmas 1t would be but lit
tie more trouble to them to arrange for
paving their employees several days be-
fore and serve to materially reduce
the holiday crowd.
The retail merchants of Broad Street.
who have the hearty support of the
Retail Merchants Association. are unan-
imous In their approval OF the PLAN.
They feel sure that If the matter. which
is of such great Importance to them
and their clerks. is placed before the
public 1t will be quisk to realize the
amount of good that can be done with
comparatively no effort. 1t is ques-
ton of turning Il day OF drudgery and
toll into ono Of enjoyment and happi-
ness for the small army OF workers
through whose hands pass the things
Which make Christmas.