At last she finds all these impediments removed; a fan that will nearly suit her lies open in the window, with its price clearly marked, an attendant is in the shop, and the door is hospitably _open_. She enters and examines it, and finding it well made, asks whether there are others of the same class of pattern, to which the reply is that it is the only one remaining. Upon this she purchases the fan, although had she entered several of the former shops, she might have found fans both more exactly suited to her taste and at a less price. The _marking_ has decided her choice. It is not to be imagined that all, or even the greater part of these impediments, ever occurred to one person at the same time: but there are few who have not at different times felt the effects of most of them. § It is said that _ladies by education and birth_ occasionally amuse themselves by entering shops and giving interminable trouble, having no intention of making any purchase. This doubtlessly is a libel. § Several other minor impediments deter purchasers from some shops, and incline them to frequent others; amongst these may be mentioned an over officiousness in the attendants to recommend to the attention of the purchaser other articles than those he requires. This pressure to induce purchases is peculiarly offensive, and drives away the best customers. The absence of a marked price upon an article, tends to defeat the effect of competition, as well as to produce loss of time both to consumer and vendor. It is therefore, to a certain extent, a cause of increase of price. Its effect is to cause the same article to be sold at different prices in the same neighbourhood, thus counteracting that uniformity of price at considerable distances, which is consequent upon rapid and cheap communication. § As the extent to which this is carried even in a great city, may not be known, the following occurrence will afford an illustration:— A gentleman wishing to make the light of his reading lamp approach more nearly to day-light, looked out for a lamp-glass of a blue tint. Having observed one of the wished-for colour in a shop window marked at 1_s._ 6_d._ he purchased it. After a considerable trial he was so satisfied with the comfort it afforded to his eyes, that he wished to have other lamps in his house similarly furnished. On returning to the shop at which the blue globe was purchased, he found that its proprietor had retired, and his successor was in a different line of business. Seeing in the window of another shop in his own neighbourhood, a coloured globe of the same size, he entered and inquired the price. To his great surprise the price was stated to be 3_s._; and on asking if any reduction would be made if he took a dozen or two, the answer was that in that case the lowest price would be half-a-crown each.