If Wednesday be a fine day go up as soon as you well can to be out early. In the first place call at Steward Spavold and Smiths, where settle our accounts and look at modes of all sorts, at the white silk, the blue and green. Do not buy any. Ask if they have any black … coat, as had last at 62s. Then go to Harris and Penny, pay their bill, and just look at what kind of fancy gloves they have to sell. Tell them that the gloves they called maid were most of them small girls, that they were too dear, that as their account was a small one it had indeed been almost forgot, that I had advised Weatherall people we should draw upon them in favour of Harris and Co., but in hurry of business we had quite forgot it. Next place you may call at Moores, or not, as you will have a good deal to do and the morning will be pretty far advanced. You may then go to Bread Street. Just call in at Adams, and if they have any pretty fancy ribbons pick out a few. Get the bill made out and take it with you to Drury’s which is just by there. Perhaps they may not have sent out the goods last ordered. Get to look at the order whether they have or not, and you will be able to judge what is wanted of those kind of things. And be sure to get some white soufflee for tippets as we have some bespoke for next week. If they have none done, as I do not suppose they have, they may perhaps let you have a yard or two of some that may be done for other customers, which we shall be obliged if they will let us have. A small quantity must be had at any rate to send on Wednesday.
You may call at Tibets and see if there is anything particularly pretty in the ribbon way there. As Barton and Simpson live in the same street call and balance their account, then go to Price and Cook, who lives in the same street, balance their account, look over their gloves, ask the prices of all the different sorts. If there is anything particularly nice you may look them out and order them to Drury’s as the parcel from there will not be a large one.
Browns and Chester: Portrait of a Shop 1780–1946,
Mass Observation, H. D. Willcock, ed. (1974)