The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1917-02-02
EDITORIAL MUSINGS.
The Problems of Retail Trade.

Reference was made in the previous
editorial in this series to the problems
merchant has to meet in the matter
81 returned goods. 1t is of course &
two-sided question, with two points of
view to be looked at
A woman may go into a store and
make a purchase that showed poor
judgment and which she regrets as
soon as she gets home. Ii is not al
ways easy TO make a decision on the
spur of the moment. and with a great
many people hindsight is better thar
foresight.
IL under such circumstances a GUS
toner is permitted to return the goods,
assuming that they are not injured in
and way, and can be put right back
into stock, a great service is done by
the merchant He has cemented his
friendship with a customer, and saved
her from making mistake she would
many times regret. He has made the
strongest bid for her future patronage.
There are a great many cases, how
ever, very different from this, AMI
very exasperating TO the store people
Many persons will buy a pair o.
gloves, jab down between the fingers
Then they demand another pair. 4
great many merchants will give them
the second pair, which will split just
The same if misused in the same way.
Merchants say that there are people
who will order hats or gowns to wear
TO some party. Having used them
they will send them back. There arc
cases where il would seem as if they
ordered the goods merely TO wear 70
some occasion, with no intention OF
buying the goods. They bring them
hack a little soiled, so that the arti
Gle has to be closed out at reduction
Retail trade papers and associations
are discussing the matter of returned
goods a good deal this winter, and
many of them feel that the merchants
should unite TO prevent themselves
from being imposed upon. II is q
difficult matter to distinguish between
reasonable and unreasonable requests
The public should not expect too much
Where goods that are not defectiv:
are returned because the customer
made an error of judgment in buying
or using them. and where such a re
turn involves the merchant in a loss
the public in the end will have to pay
for them as a part of overhead eX
pcnse.
Working Ones Way Through College
Reports from the colleges show larg,
increases in the freshman classes. il
This country of wealth. more and NOR
people are finding the money to pa!
college bills Also more people are ap
Dreciating the value of the training
And there is an increasing number o
students who work their own way.
At Princeton. this fall, for instance
a new step has just been taken to
ward this spirit Of democracy. Sew
enty boys are waiting on tables in tn
dining halls. They receive free boar
Cor this service. Thus the oldest an,
most conservative institutions ope
their doors wide to the class of earn
ing students.
A reasonably bright young perso
can work his way through any co
lege without great difficulty. He nee
not enrich John ID. greatly for "miC
night OIL" either Nor need he be d
object of pity for overwork. 1t /
SIMPLY a question of where he will pu
ia his daylight.
When other fellows are frolickin
and gossiping at the fraternity house,
will he have the resolution to get u
lis next days lessons? He may o
ten have TO study while the others ar
playing tennis and football. This