SHOPPING.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2521, 3 February 1877, Page 4

SHOPPING.

(FROM' THE 'WOEiD.) The pleasures of men and women djffer -atewgely-rpaee tjfep tffofe advanced^members of the shrieking sisterhood —and perhaps one of the most conspicuous distinctions between two is to be observed in th.Q> method 1, in., wjijch they conduct the necessarjflrasiness'of shopping. _ A inaii detes^s**^ 'process alitqgether, puts it off .to the last moment; then rushing into a shop* taJies the first thing offered to him, and grumbles at its unsuitability until it is lost,:.wor'n out, or otherwise disposed of. With the ladies of the family, on the other hand^.»sfaopping r is 'one of the greatest pleasures and excitements of life, and as'jthey.-advanee in.years'r.eplaces the delights'of the mazy valse'or the prancing steed. Naturally there are but few fortunes that could bear * the burden of ( incessant shopping-were large sums expended 5-ien , every occasion, and as the 1 ,pleasure is perennial- and diurnal, its Totaries have successfully elaborated a system by which the acme of enjoyment is attained withthe minimum of expense. They- either provide themselves with a small pattern of unusual color which they profess* themselves eager to match in I some uncommon material, and turn over the whole stock-in-trade in search of tomething which it would greatly disturb their calculations --to find; or else they pretend to be. charged' with commissions by some friend in the country, ami evade the necessity of purchase by averring, that they will write and tell her what they have seen, and return wken-'shQ'has, communicated her wishes. By "the time i hat they have on either or both of these "pretexts visited all the more important magasins in. London they are tolerably au cour'ant pf.'tbe fashions of the day, and able to take "their choice of what pleases them best in the several establishments they' have visited. On .such matters women have absolutely no conscience; they will enter a shop and/occupy an hour of the shopman's,- time- in displaying to -them materials'which they know will never match the pattern they have brought, and which they are far from wishing should do so. All they want is to see the" new materials, -the novel shades of colour, and to learn the "official names for them,:so that when reading accounts of the toilettes^ worn at grand parties by the " upper ten thousand "they may understand and appreciate every nvance mentioned, and be able to - enlighten more considerate friends who - have not Vet learned to pursue their shopping on so philosophical a system. The shop-people' are ,seldom* we fancy, the dupes of these ladies, and their patience and civility are truly 'amazing. It must be disheartening to one of the animated lay-figures in the; show-room to try on costume after costjime, to envelope herself in mantle, jacket, or scarf, while the forewoman descants on the superior perfections of each and the lady refers with wearisome iteration to her mythical friend, who is apparently endowed with more whims and peculiarities than fall ordinarily to the lot of women. Long experince has taught" the young man who reaches down roll after roll of silks and various other materials whether the lady he is serving is in earnest in her expressed desire to match a color,'or whether she is only; improving ,h.er acquaintances with fashionable fabrics at the expense of his time and trouble ; 'but, in West-end establishments at any rate, he is' far too well trained"tbiallbwjthe^least evidence of . Ms kbdwledge to' escape -him, and he en- . tera ?into; the farce a-s gravely as if he believed it. Some of the more conscientious -among the female Tree-lances affect anair of virtue,, and saying plaintively that '"they cannot leave a shop without . buying something, 9' invest in the cheapest pair of gloves they ban-find, after vexing .the soul of the vendor by inquiries for unknown makes and unusual colors, and generally discourse eloquently ever after on^the bad gloves to be found at such a shop, carefully omitting to mention that they would not give a reasonable price for - a better article;

Verily, too, the patience of a shopkeeper should equal that of Job,- or he must have some difficulty in concealing his annoyance at finding his mctffasinßWed, as is 1 constantly the case, in West-end phops in the afternoon, with ladies who come there solely to see who is there and to talk .to their friends, without even making a pretence of wishing to purchase anything. If the carriages which, sorely to the obstruction of traffic and the vexation of the souls of the police, stand every afternoon from 3 to 6 in serried ranks before the doors of the fashionable drapery emporiums all contained ''bond "fide buyers the fortunes.realised would be fabulous, and the said emporiums would change hands with a startling rapidity. But such is far indeed from being the case, and we can? well ..believe the'remark made by-an employee that they " did mor& business in one day before 2 o'clock than in all the afternoons of the week put together." We presume ifc never strikes.the ladies who allow their ifignisitftteness^to prompt them to turn over ait the stock-in.-trade in search of a color or a material which they do uot wish to findf or who erect an unsuspecting - friend into a convenient Mrs Harris, to enable' them to examine the mantles and costumes at every shop ■within-'their reach previous' to making-up •what they are pleased to call their mir.ds •^-ifc never, we say, occurs to them that by their inconsiderate conduct they inevitably increase the expense of the articles they may ultimately decide on- purchasing.' If a shopkeeper is obliged^to keep many more hands than ho actually requires simply because ladies will come to his shop to while aw.ay an idle afternoon in learning the names of new colours and acquainting themselves with novel, textures ; which they never entertain the?^wildest -idea of purchasing, it is patent to common sense that he must pay those extra hands by some means or 'another, and the readiest expedient is naturally that of charging somewhat higher for his goods,than would otherwise be necessary. Again, if ladies, who one would imagine might see enough of each other at parties, or exchange their views on- the toilette^ of the day either in. each other's" dtawingrooms: or. in the paradise "".of-. Prince's elect instead to frequent 'shops to provide themselves with gossip*rather than gowns, they necessitate an enlargement of the premises, else the profitable paying customers -who really come:;.tp:^^biiy,^ay 'find the shop too crowded, for comfort, and may be driven to go elsewhere. Building costs money; arid the necessary funds to provide room forobstructors as well as , purchasers must, like the salaries of the | extra employees, corao ultimately but of j the pockets*of the customers. . I