many words the trade is closed, this article laid aside, and the next one called for, only to be followed with a like battle of words before the trade can be completed. When all have been selected, the merchant takes up his abacus and, running his fingers, over the buttons a few times, tells the customer what is the amount of his bill.
In Seoul some of the stores have a much better stock and do business in larger houses, though they do not impress the stranger as, being up-to-date. In these large stores there are no counters. Only a part of the store has a floor, which is raised about a foot above the ground; and on this floor the salesmen are seated, with the goods piled up in heaps near by or stored on shelves along the back of the store. The customers stand on the ground while they trade; the salesman may keep his seat or rise, as the case may demand. The women of the high class do not go shopping. Don't they miss lots of fun? And do not the salesmen gain a lot thereby? The high-class gentlemen also do very little shopping, since it is entirely too much like work for them. It is the custom of many of these shops to advertise their business by displaying their goods on the street and in front of the building, which, I have said, is open on the street. Others display only a few goods, while the stock is stored in closets or small rooms in the back of the shop. The shoe merchant will have a lot of old cast-off shoes displayed in front of his shop, thereby showing what line he carries.
