Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-26
''EXCHANGE DAY" NOT
AS HECTIC AS USUAL
Shops Less Thronged "the Day
After" Than in Former
Years
By M'LISS

It's exchange day all right, just as
December &c has always been since Eve
decided that the shops wero a better
medium for replenishing the family
wardrobe than the Garden of Eden hut
It's different kind of exchange day
this year
II you don't believe this go into the
shops where two days ago madding
crowds In the spirit of brotherhood that
Christmas breeds fought like Huns to
get to counters ahead of their fellow
shoppers, See the thin handful Of NAL
contents who are tricllling in today for
the purpose of exchanging gifts and you
understand that this Is an exchange day
different from those Of other years.
There isn't SC much exchanging being
done today, first because the people
bought more carefully. even though the
last days rush before Christmas was
as hectic as ever before, and, second.
because the ma iority of the shops are
less lax in exchange liberties than they
have previously been.
Many articles were sold with mo
exchange" tag on them, others had "A
five-day limit. For this reason the shops
today are invaded for the most part only
by those dissatisfied spirits who would
have exchanged their birthday suts--if
these hadn't been parceled out for "A life.
time.
Shopkeepers. express entire satisfaction
with the way this Christmas passed of.
The spirit of practically which per-
vaded the buying did not hurt. The fact
that men and women this year were ac-
tuated in their purchasing by a mere
sobered and tempered way of looking at
Christmas forced the sales up in depart
ments that were usually dead and made
them sag in other departments which
heretofore did booming business
The cheap jewelry departments did
very little business, but, on the other
hand, there was a great increase in the
purchases Of expensive trinkets. People
are making the kind of money described
as good" and they wanted the kind of
lifts that are good. There Is more satis-
faction. therefore, with what was bought
and less exchanges.
lIr In the toy departments 4 situation
exists such as has never existed before.
The clerks actually have time to play
with the mechanical toys themselves,
This Is Unprecedented, because this is
the first year that the stores--or some
of them, at least-have said that no toys
can be exchanged,
The reason for this is. first, because the
toys are not as good as they formerly
were because the French and German
wised engaged and foreign toys did not
come, and, next. because japanese and
american toys are not yet as good as
their makers are going TO produce them.
given time to develop the industry.
1--WE are not exchanging toys" one of
the department store officials said. be
cause the new toys are fragile and were
bought at the buyers own risk, and. sec
ondly. because fewer toys were bought
this year The whole trend of buying,
even for children, was along practical
ilnes--and we did not want the expense
of added delivery"
Therefore, the consciousness of war
has done what years of preaching failed
to do--taken the excitement out Of ex-
change day and brought about an al
most ideal condition Of the majority of
people showing satisfaction with the
gifts presented to them.