Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-04
Jack Pickering
Here
and
Now

world In which stores try 10
shoe customers away and manu-
facturers run advertisements
reminding the public that
there's nothing much for sale.
But we have had a vague
feeling that a merchant with
anything at all 10 sell ought to
be happy. That sounds like
fairy story-imagine a mer-
chant having any merchandise
these days.
Still. we happen 10 know such
a man. He runs a store, and for
one reason and another. mostly
diligence. he has lined up
enough manufacturers 10 keep
his shelves pretty well stocked.
BY all that's sensible. he
ought TO be happy as A fly in
a sugar barrel, but he isn't.
ITS no fun any more" he
lamented. "In the old days you
would work like a dog. and II
your sales were 81 or maybe S.
higher for the week. you felt
good. You felt you'd really done
something, because of your own
efforts. But this way--aw, heck.
you can't help selling things,
and that's no fun"
There's another man ! know
who always has had the knack
of making money Not vast
fortune. but he's only in his 30's
now, and there have been
plenty of years when nc has
thought up an idea that was
worth $4,000 to him.
In the last couple Of years
Ie has noticed that department
Gtores will buy almost anything
that was offered 10 them. So,
he reasoned. the thing TO do
was find almost anything AZ all
that could be put in packages
and sold.
He's not a chemist. but he
has a general knowledge Of SCI
cnce, and got himself book OF
chemical formulas. lie paved
through IL, not paying much at
tention 10 what the formulas
were for, but just trying 10 find
one with ingredients that were
still obtalnable
He hit on cleaning com
pound and has made small
sized fortune out Of II already.
Just an idea and a book Of for
mulas-which by the way, he
got from the public library.
His bonanza may he running
out, though. lie can't get
enough bottles To put his clean
ing compound in. but up to now
he has certainly made a small
idea 20 a long way.
Well, 90 get 10 some other
subject. the collcgc-agers arc
going back 10 the campus these
days. but they appear 10 be un-
usually gloomy about II
Normally. anybody lucky
enough TO be able to 90 TO tol-
lege IS pretty happy about II.
But not this year Some even
arc refusing fatty 10 90 10 coll
lege
In my own family. we've run
into the same thing. Nv niece.
Joyce Chapman. u AZ Michigan
state now, starting her fresh
man year. hut until tho last
minute II looked a. though
Joyce would balk. The idea Of
ollege just didn't seem To hold
amy rest for her.
with moderate avuncuiar
pride. | viii say that joyce
really is an extremely pretty
doll and never has been AT a
loss for dates. In our blunt
manner. We came 10 the con-
cluSion that Joyce. like many
another. might bc thinking Of
the manpower shortage after
all, what's college 10 coed
if there aren't some men
around?
But We may have been mis-
Judging her. because whole
generation seems Ia he taking
that same so-what attitude to-
ward college. Another young
lady Of our acquaintance il
Jean Whitehead who has been
working al the Times for the
summer. She's going back 10
OberDn pretty soon, but she adj
mits that she had quite an
argument with herself-she felt
she'd like 20 keep on working
instead OF going To school.
In fact, this distaste for coll
lege, or rather this lack Of in
terest in II, may be a matter
OF money. To get back 10 Joyce.
you have 10 admit that she has
point, at that Two girls who
went through high school with
her have gone TO YpSilanti 10
work in the bomber plant. One
gets 500 a week and the other
says she's making $50.
However, we venture 10 guess
gkat 49, ..,L- l. 49,. A. Ill.