Year: 1873

This customer is the more annoying, as
the mode of dealing with him is so diff
cult. If it be attempted to discern the
probable worth of the individual by his
dress and appearance, there is the utmost
danger of confounding him with the I'm.
known customer, who Is at once the hor-
ror and delight of shoukeepers. We will
narrate fact we came across to illustrate
this.


A shabby old gentleman walked into a
jewelers. shop, and asked to be allowed to
look at some topazes. Three or four were
accordingly shown to him, and he quick
ly selected the best, which he said was
hardly good enough. "Ah, but you see
these stones are expensive" said the jew
eler, rather patronizingly. ~ can assure
you the one you have chosen would an.
swer any ordinary purpose"


The old gentleman looked around him
in dissatisfied way, and presently caught
sight of large and beautiful stone in a
corner of the jewelers. glass case.


"That looks more like what want"
said he; "let me look at that one, will
your"


at will be very expensive, sir; very,
indeed-more, l dare say than you would
like to give. The stone you have is very
good. sir"


In quiet voice the old gentleman
asked if the stone was for sale or only on
view. At this rebuke the jeweler pro
duced it, naming a high price. 1t was
Immediately chosen; and his customer,
taking a sketch from his pocket, said:


"Get that coat-of-arms engraved upon
it, and send me word when it's DONE"


He gave his name and address. He was
noble earl, and the shopkeeper had com.
mitted the grevious error of treating him
as an Indiscreet, when he was an Un-
known customer.


One of the most remarkable specimens
is the Communicative customer. This
person, it appears, will with the slightest
encouragement land sometimes Without
converse freely about his personal and
private affairs over shop-counter, to an
individual he has never seen before in his
life. A. gentleman Of this class, on the
simple introduction occasioned by the
purchase of half pound of figs, told the
grocer's assistant that he should have been
in the grocery trade himself if he had
stopped down in the country where he
was born; but that he always had fancy
to come to London; so he ran away, and
came.


"I wasn't worth much when / first ar.
u, communicative
" but I'm worth few thousands now. l
bought house yesterday that cost me
over fifteen hundred pounds; and I'm
going to furnish it, and let it furnished. |
never could get on with unfurnished
houses. One of my tenants" &c, &c,
&c.


Another instance was a man who, with
in five minutes of entering the shop, in
formed the shopman where he was going
to dine, what he was going to have, and
what his balance was at his banker'sl


OF course the most troublesome of all
customers are to be found amongst those
who do not know what they want. Fore
most among these, we are informed, are
ladies. The difficulty these fair creatures
have in making up their minds is only
equaled by the difficulty the shopman ex-
periences in making it up for them. They
are impressed with the idea that the task
of buying must be performed slowly; and
if an article is found speedily, that is primd
facte evidence that it is not suitable. The
experience of shopman in fancy shop
was interesting on this point.


If lady and her husband are about to
purchase, the lady herself, of course,
performs the selection.


"That's pretty dear, isn't it?" she will
say;


Eyes, very. Suppose you have thatp'


The fair one shrinks from the conclu'
sion. She searches further. Presently
she exclaims again:


''There! l think really like that the
best of any"


Her husband observes, not unrcason-
ably:


swell, then, my dear, you'd better have
IL at one"


And we are assured that the lady will
then invariably put it on one side, and
look over the others again,-CasseWS
Magazine.