New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-09
POSTSCRIPT ORDERING
1t Is the Worst of All the Crimes
of HOuSeWifery.

up. s.-Doar Mr.. Smith: Please add three
lemons to my order of groceries and bring
! them Mp right away as I need them for
! luncheon"
! This is tho kind OF thing that increases
IN" cost Of living. according to Mrs. Jo-
serhine Reddins. the treasurer Of the
! Housewives League
THE greatest sin of the incompetent
| housewife today" she told the reporter.
is her habit Of postscript ordering. She
! thinks nothing Of calling mp her grocer
| two or thee times or sending a note TO
| him by one Of the ncighbors children
whenever she happens TO think of some
/ thing she wants. This necessitstes the de-
livery wagon or the grocer's foot nessen-
ger calling at her back door two or three
| times I'm 2 morning instead Of the once
that would have suffced had she done her
ordering Systematically. She should have
! investigated the needs OF her larder and
made an accurate list of the things she
needed. Then given all in one order In
addition to the unnecessary service She
exacts from the delivery boy, she also
wastes the grocer's time by calling him to
the phone so often. To meet her inconsid-
crate demands he IS compelled TO hire r
larger force than is really necessary for
conducting his business.
! Another unbusinesslke habit Is her de-
mand that the days order given at any
time I'm the morning shall be delivered be-
/ fore noon
This crowdlng OF service into such short
period Of time necosstates the employment
| Of large number OF butchers. clerks de-
! livery men and boys. 10 say nothing or
horses. carts bicycles or auto trucks They
! all are worked 10 death In the morning
| and have time n burn In the afternoon
| THIS extravaganza is ~ course. paid for
! bv tho housewife. ~ is only fair since II
is her unintellgent methods Of purchasing
/ which noccs-itato rho scurry before noon
and the enforced hut salared idleness In
tho afternoon. II Is SO easy to alter these
| conditions. By tho simple oNpedient OF
| ordering her supplies ono or two days in
! advance and letting tho order be filled and
! delivered I'm the afternoon, she would make
/ II possible for the market man 20 reduce
/ tho number Of his employees one-half. Some
| progressive dealers are Offering reductions,
particularly on meats. 10 those patrons
who order twenty-fOur hours IN advance.
! Another crime OF the inefficient house
/ wife is scattering her trade. II IS disad-
vantage both to herself and 20 the market.
| The larger the merchants volume Of steady
/ trade. the better terms he can give. Wom-
/ en- il Is charged are Overprone 90 SYM
| pathize with the little men who crowd into
districts already we'll supplied with mar
| kpts. For sentimental reasons they split
| their trade, injurng themselves and the
! established dealer without accomplishing
/ ANYTHING for the little fellow over 50 per
cent OF these fail any way and the rest
! exc out a pitiful existence by this artificial
! stimulus 70 a business for which there Is
no honest demand. They would be much
better of to start in business somewhere
| where they are needed. There are between
| 200 and 1900 of these small dealers in
| this city. sometimes as many as six In
single block.
| zone caution. in conclusion. 10 the house.
Wife However fair the market man may
prove. the good manager in the house Will
never relax the careful checking Of weights
and measures, and Of bills too. In order TO
| be sure that she is getting what she or
dered. at the prices agreed upon, and that
| there is no underweghing This Is not a
| reflection upon the honesty Of the dealer
| hut merely a necessary precaution against
carelessness or graft among his employees
| or ones own"