Evening star., 1948-12-19
Sales Reported
High as Crowds
Pack Stores
Fewer Shop Around
On Last Free Day
For Working People

for working People
Washington Christmas shoppers
supplied merry tune yesterday
for everything from department
store cash registers to Salvation
Army help-the-poor pots on packed
street corners.
Crowds were in a holiday mood,
although they were not as large as
on December II, the record sales
dav for this Christmas period.
But there was a difference yester-
day from a week earlier. The shop
pers out yesterday meant business.
Nearly all stores reported less
Shopping around" and more sales,
Accordingly, when the totals are
all in by tomorrow, it might turn
out to be the biggest day-from
a dollar and cents standpoint-of
the season.
For countless working men and
women it was the last free day they
would have between now and
Christmas to check of those gift
items on shopping lists.
Fewer Use Automobiles.
A spokesman for one large de-
partment store commented: "It's
terrific. 1t might be the top day
Of the year." BY pm. at this store,
crowds were moving at a snail s
pace on the first floor.
Stores downtown began filling UP
around IL am. and business con-
tinued brisk right up to closing
time.
Fewer shoppers used their auto
mobiles yesterday. A check of fringe
parking areas showed the car total
lower than last Saturdays. At the
big Municipal Center parking plaza
which has a ,500-car capacity, space
was readily available all day.
The manager reported the lot no
more than half filled and said busi-
ness was off somewhat from a week
ago.
A sure indication that the Christ
mas spirit prevailed the scene yes
terday was the report of Salvation
Army people along r street. They
said # was their best day so far,
! Santa Clauses Busy.
The Salvation Army pot in the
100 block of F street, presided over
by Maj. v. M. Van Syckle. really
began to boil" late in the day
when nine little girls from the Gen.
tral Union Mission Children's Emer-
gency Home arrived.
Let by Mrs. Van Syckle. they sang
~Silent Night" Jingle Bells" Jesus
Loves Me" and other tunes.
The busiest men of the day were
the various store Santa Clauses, who
solemnly listened to recitals from
youngsters of what is expected un-
der the tree and in stockings next
Saturday morning.
In the toy departments, the most
popular spots were doll and electric
train counters. Train counters were
80 packed with men that little boys
didn't have chance. -
Not Record Crowds, Police Say.
Inspector Arthur Miller, in charge
of traffic for the Police Department,
reported that while crowds were
large, the situation did not approach
that of the day after Thanksgiving.
That's still the record for this
year, as far as traffic goes" he said.
Inspector Miller added that it
had been decided to maintain the
full Christmas police detail down.
town through December 27. That
would be the day, as custom goes,
when Washington shoppers return
downtown to exchange gifts.
Acting Postmaster Gordon Bell re-
ported yesterday that his force was
braced for the peak of Christmas
mailing expected tomorrow. BY
that time, all of the extra 1000 as
sistant carriers and clerks will have
been assigned to jobs.
More Christmas Cards Mailed.
Meanwhile, said Mr.. Bell, I'VE are
in excellent shape. 1t looks as
though the public has become edu-
Gated to early mailing"
Official postal figures available for
the first II days of this month show
that Christmas card cancellations
are running about 13 per cent ahead
Of last year at the same time, while
parcel post is a whopping % per
cent higher.
Mr.. Bell said there were 1887 900
more cards mailed through Friday
midnight than last year. About
4,604,00 cards were mailed Friday
alone, he said. With many people
using today to address their cards,
tomorrow's mailings were expected
to go over the 100000 mark.
Seen As Last Big Day.
When the figures are all in, this
may be a bigger holiday period than
last year from the standpoint of
the post office, Mr.. Bell observed.
This opinion also was held by
many merchants, although they
were reluctant to estimate the total
as yet. Because there are two more
shopping days between Thanksgiv-
ing and Christmas this year than
last, sales are being spread out
somewhat.
There was genera lagreement,
however, that yesterday was the
last big shopping day before Christ
mas One store official said he had
found that the bulk of shopping is
done from to IL days before
Christmas.
r