The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-12-31
THE OWOSSO TIMES
EDMUND o. DEWEY. EDITOR.
,OwOSSO, FRIDAY, DEC. 81 1909
It's Added to Your Bill.

taken IrOlu ule MichiSdH ilduSo'
man. This habit of helping your
self" is so fixed with many people
= that they seem to thin, it all right
10 sample all goods in sight when
ever they have occasion to so into
grocery. The exc mple is natural
Iy followed by G. .dren who have
reason to beli2Te there is nothing
wrong in 81 doing. Just a few
days ago t:Ie writer noticed three
small hays filling their pockets with
lit.Io of everything within reach
in one store and then going outside
Took liberal supply of holiday
grens-and those boys possibly
thought there was nothing wrong in
what they were doing. That the
store-keepers are more than half to
blame will be admitted by them.
selves and we doubt whether any of
them will deny the fact that the
value of the goods so taken is of
necessity added in the fixed expenses
OF the business and additional
charges made to get same from pat
rons. The Tradesman says:
rs it wrong to help yourself to a
piece of candy from one of the pals
near the door of the store?" asked
child Of her mother recently. On
Being informed that it is she re-
marked that the school children fire.
auently helped themselves to a
handful of sailed peanuts, a little
candy, few cranberries or hand
rsdI OF crackers as they passed the
open pals. Sometimes the grocer
saw them do it,; sometimes he did
not. With most Of them it was i'm
material.
The mother then related the story
of the grocer who became weafy of
T1e trick of a certain user of the
weed who habitually tested his fine
cut not only to the extent Of a good :
chew but always filled his pouch.
One day as he appeared in sight the
deaIer peppered the dose, and the
piTferer left with tears in his eyes.
The. child was not slow to see the
point when presented in this way.
The habit is "sponging"-getting
something for nothing.
twenty-five dollars" added the
mother, "would scarcely pay the
Feaks Of Mr.. A. in this way, and he
cannot afford to lose this. Some one
mas to paw enough extra to make up
sFe deficit. In other words, he is OBJ
ITged to put his prices up to the
general public sufficiently to cover
this leakage. Possibly he takes
notes of individuals who are espec-
FalIy aggravating and gets even with
them in some other way. But you
must never help yourself to any of
ms goods-at least not without call
ing his attention to it. And even
this is bad practice
While the child was wondering
Yust where the line bordering on pill
ferfng lay, the mother was thinking
Of several things: First, why IS
placed on all sides of the
child? With the good things in
sight it is not so very unnatural for
0ne to test berry here, a plum
there, or a piece of candy in another
place. Each in itself represents
only fraction of a cent. OF course
the merchant will not care. But
with the habit comes always the in
creased dose. The lad who ventured
Jr one peanut yesterday will want
Z handful today. 1t is habit which
grows uncousciously A principle Is
being cracked. And what the big
Boy or girl does, as a matter OF
course, the small one soon initiates
IN innocence.
The problem Of honesty should
Sc q sufficient one to render the
sender of small wareS extremely
careful about how he places them In
The way of the weak. But there Is a
second personal reason If money
making is the entire consideration:
Who wants TO buy candy or nuts or
food any sort that has been hand
,h2nced to make free with it? A
single thrust Of the soiled hand Of
Vie child or the grimed one Of the
loafer into the cracker
box is enough to cause the average
to shun it, no matter how
much she had previously wanted
hackers. If you would hold the
Tade Of respectable people, you
must solve the problem of how to
void this contamination of food
PRODUCTS. 1t is problem of bust
less as well as of ethics.
There is but one way-remove
ihe temptation. Keep your food
PRODUCTS, especially those which
ire inviting in the state you present
mem, where every new conner will
rot be tempted to sample them. If
rour cakes are under glass, your
,rackers in a box behind the counter
ind your choice candies and fruits
N the show window, out OF the
each of the public but where they
an readily be seen, there will be no
,hance for the formation of habits
which are inseperable from pilfer-
ng: no shuddering by the dainty
customer lest foreign faint be i'm.
larted to your delioacies.