El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-12-03
"SHOP EARLY"
PLEA5ES GIRLS
Department Store Clerks Say
Early Shopping Shows
Christmas Spirit.

GTuSduFb VI carly CALl6LIldS EnOD-
ping nave become a permanent part of
the pre-Christmas program. These cru
sades have been carried on bv Wom-
ans clubs, by the newspapers and by
civic organizations.
But the shop girls viewpoint has
been overlooked. The question of
whether or not she is pleased with the
"shop early slogan has not been an
swered. 1t has been suggested that
the shop girls, while approaching the
spirit, would prefer the old order be-
cause the shop early crusade only ex-
tended the rush period from a week. at
most, to four weeks.
To get the viewpoint of the girl be-
hind the counter, a number of local
clerks in the department stores we're
interviewed as 10 their ideas on the
Christmas shopping. The composite
thought Of these girls shows that they
are highly pleased with the SHOP
early" campaign.
One girl, from behind her fortress of
Christmas novelties, said of the new
Christmas spirit: THE best Christmas
gift 81 Pasoans can bestow on the
! clerks of the department and other
stores that handle holiday goods is the
strict observance of the early shop
ping crusade and a pleasant smile. Be
! cause of the fact that a majority OF
shoppers put off their gift buying I'M
I til the eleventh hour the approach Of
Christmas in the past has been dread
ed by the clerks instead of being
| looked forward to with the spirit of
peace on earth, good will toward
men
Late shopping Spells sorrow.
IF many of the men and women who
put their Christmas buying off until
the last moment could see the sorrow
| they cause the clerks by spelling their
Christmas, I believe there would be no
| such things as a belated rush for gifts.
But last Christmas there was compar-
atively little late shopping at Christ
mas time. Practically all the men and
women did their gift buying early and
as a result the clerks enjoyed the hOl-
iday.
This year the Christmas shopping
! season has been started a week earlier
than ever before and there is every
/ reason to believe that there will be but
little late buying in this city. Last
week the advance guard of Christmas
I shoppers started doing their buying
and, judging from the volume of holi-
day business, there will be little buy
ing at the eleventh hour.
The early shopping crusade not only
benefits the department store clerk but
the buyer as well. Those who shOI
early have the pick Of the goods and
can look over the assortment n FIND
just what they want.
Help.
The newspaper crusades and
those conducted by the depart
ment store proprietors ave &C
cOmplished much, but 1 believe that
since tHe buyers have learned tina.
they al only get what they most de-
sire by shopping early, they lave de
cided it does not pay to do their gif
buying late.
In former years many Of the larg,
department stores of FL PasO and Othe
cities kept open for two weeks in tbs
evening prior to Christmas. This i
what most tired theeclerks. They wen
to work at 8 o'clock in the morning ant
were on their feet until 10 o'clock a
night
This year the proprietors Of thu
stores have confidence in the earl!
shopping spirit and as a result viii
only keep their stores open for four o.
five nights prior to Christmas. Extra
clerks viii be employed to do the worl
and it will not work a hardship OF
the regular clerks. The stores vii
keep pen in the evenings during th'
final days Of shopping to accommodate
those who cannot shop in the daytime
Finest vaudeville program ever staged
in FL Paso will begin Friday night a
the Observation-Disclosures.