The Scheme Of Things

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 138, 14 June 1930, Page 19

The Scheme Of Things

(By M.H.C.)

Some time ago shopping liours ou Saturday -were cut' short by half an hour, the shops closing, at half past 12 instead of 1 o'clock-' It would bo very interesting to get some opinions from thoso : business people, both men and TTomen, who have to do a certain 'amount of sh ppping after they leave their occupations, and who suffer badly from the deprivation of that half hour. •There, arc-many reasons why such people cannot help having to go a-shop-ping at that desperately hurried hour. The keeping of perishable goods in warm weather, the unexpected callers, the forgetting of something necessary till the last moment,1 these are some of the reasons that make for late buying. It used to be trying enough when thero was an hour for the 12 o'clock people, and what the "half past twclr vers". do nowadays—it is difficult to guess! But, while it is trying enough for thoso who must shop, it has all been made much more difficult and impossible by. the selfishness of a certain class who "have plenty of time at other hours to do their purchasing, but who drift about having morning tea, or booking at frocks or other things, and then go and fill up the counters and take up the attention of the assistants when the unfortunate business folk have their only chance. 2sow, here is an instance that really happened a week or two ago. Scene, a grocer's shop. A lady entered from her motor, followed by a hurried business .woman; the motor lady engaged the Attention of the young man behind the counter and he gave it to her very completely. ;"What can I get for you, madam?'! ' A pause, as the M.L.' looked vaguely round the shelves, and then said: "I want some biscuits." "Yes," said the V.M, encouragingly, "What kind?" Another pause, and then t the M.L., observed hestitatingly, "Wel-1-1, I am not sure. Have you any of those little packets with , mixed biscuits in them?"- The Y.M. looked puzzled. "Mixed biscuits in packets, madam, I don't think so;" Another pause, when tho M.L. looked round the shelves again vaguely, and'the B.W. tried to catch the eye of the Y.M. and ask him for "lib tea, lib butter, and lib sausages." She ha;d her wants tabulated all ready, if he would only give her the chance; they were all close round about, and she could catch her. bus, if he would only spend a few moments in giving them to her. But he steadily gazed at the M.L., who was still vague, and said: "Well, _ I wonder if you have any nice little biscuits, mixed, not in a packet." "Oh, yes," was the cheery reply, "lots, madam. I will show you some," and he departed to the other end of the shop, and came back with two or three tins and opened them for inspection. A pause while the M.L. looked- at them. Then sho sighed. "I don't like those common ones with the sugar on top. I don't think I like any of those much. Have you any better ones" Here the B.W. tried to get a word in edgeways, but the young grocer was sternly determined to suit tho biscuit seeker or die in the attempt, so off he went after - more tins, and the B.W. went off despairingly hoping that she,would have better luck in some other shop. Xow, some might think this exaggerated, but it actnally happened, and similar things are continually occurring. It seems as if tho assistants, when they find deliberate buyers come along on Saturday, should let them deliberate while they wait on those who are really in a hurry, and have soiue real idea of what they want. The, same thing occurs in drapers' shops. People rush in to get a pair of warm socks, or something of the kind to fill a sudden necessity, and find the attendant at the counter deeply engrossed by some one who cannot make up his or her own 'mind as to what he or she requires. Two things saem. wanting under the circumstances—the absence of the shopper who has lots of time from the hectic half hour on Saturdays, or attendants who will give a friendly consideration to hurried people. But the millennium always seems to be putting itself off in a most trying manner! Another trial to the business woman is the shop with a sex bins. The B.W. hurries up to a butchers' counter; she has to get home as soon as possible to cook the family lunch and do an afternoon's work, and is desperately anxious to secure her joint for Sunday. She feels that she is fortunate to be up at the counter itself, but what is her dismay when the eye of the shopman is fixed over her head and she hears a masculine voice giving an order over her shoulder! The speaker has an immense bag, too, and seems to be running either a boarding-house or a bach filled with the hungriest men on record. This comes very hardly to the woman ■with two jobs, because sho wants to get home to servo the family, as well as doing her part in the earning for them. It is doubly trying, too, because _there is a class of girl and woman assistant in shops who will always be ready to make friends with a member of the other sex by giving him the preference —so women are the sufferers both ways. Thero was so little mention about the "half-hour steal," as it might be called, that people were hardly aware of it when it happened, and quite a number on the first occasion went almost dinnerle3s,as they had been kept late at work ami found the shops closed at 12.30, with extreme punctuality, too. At all events, between that reduced half hour ami the one off the 5.30 to 15 o'clock time each day it is a great problem for busy men and women, whose hours are from 8 to 5 or 9 to 5.30, to get any shopping done. Girls and women take the time 6ft their lunch hour, and are dependent on the courtesy of the assistants to serve them quickly. They find, however, that the assistants concentrate on the people who have plenty of time, and are just filling in a pleasant half hour turning over goods till it is time for the 1 o'clock luncheon. Many a woman, in particular, groans over these vcgulations, specially when it is a case ?.f cjioosmg garments, when expense is a great consideration, and it is uot possible to take what is first offered, as the custom is to ,bring out the expensive goods first. No one who thinks of others can fail to realise that standing and serving in shops is moat fatiguing and trying, but it is certainly hard on a hard-working section of the community to have the Saturday time for buying cub short.