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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Dec. 10, 1964
GI's Abroad Finish Gift Buying Early
By Don Black
Christmas shoppers in the U.S. are dashing to and fro to finish their long gift list, but for GI's in Europe, the season's shopping is finished—except for gifts they will exchange among themselves.
The Christmas shopping for the American military began in early November and was finished by the middle of December. The early shopping is not done because of foreign custom nor the time—but the distance.
MOST AMERICAN bases are approximately 4,500 miles from Kansas and shipping from New York to Europe takes about a month. The Europeans are just beginning their Christmas shopping—like us—only the GL's began early and will have 15 lax days before Christmas.
The mailing deadline for surface mail, via ship, is Nov. 25. However, if someone was missed on the Christmas list, late packages can be mailed air parcel post to the states at a slightly higher cost.
The average package, weighing 10 pounds, costs $1.98 for surface parcel post. The same package via air parcel post costs $7.31, a penalty of $5.53 for being late.
PACKAGES AFTER the above dates can not have guaranteed delivery before Christmas Day.
The average American soldier selects his special holiday gift early in the fall. Usually this gift is the Black Forest cuckoo clock which is mailed in the first few days in November. It and a few other gifts make the first deadline with ease. At least one forgotten gift needs to be mailed before the last deadline.
The rates are cheaper to send gifts home via the military postal services rather than the civilian mails. The military pays the fare for shipping or flying the package from New York to Europe or vice versa. The GI pays only the fare from New York to his home town. To mail the package via European mails would cost a small fortune.
MAILING THE package to the states becomes a drab chore for the GI. He must pad, wrap, tie and label the package besides stand in long lines before arriving at the mail window. Each package must have a duty tag declaration attached. The accompanying tag kills all the fun of getting a gift because it must show the package's contents and its value.
Even with all the extra precautions of mailing early, some packages arrive late. A sergeant will come to mail call sometime in February with a little bundle that seems to have been through the Battle of the Bulge.
THE PACKAGE HAS been stepped on, bounced, crushed and thrown all the way from the United States to Europe. After the lucky recipient gets the package, he finds a moldy fruit cake, a broken shaving lotion bottle, a torn shirt with a crumpled Christmas card from an aunt.
The package was one of the Christmas gifts that got stuck somewhere down in the bottom of a ship's hold. Nevertheless, it made the trip.
Each year the GI promises himself to send packages early and the girl back home promises herself she will do the same. However, packages still arrive late for Christmas.
Royal College Shop VI 3-4255
VI 3-4255
837 Mass.
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Atchison
RUNYAN JEWELERS
Arkansas City
McDOWELL'S
Beloit
GREIF JEWELERS
Dodge City
ROTH JEWELERS
Downs
WIERENGA JEWELRY
El Dorado
POND JEWELRY
Emporia
ROSENBALM JEWELERS
STANLEY JEWELERS
Fredonia
THOMAS JEWELERS
Garden City
REGAN JEWELRY STORE
Goodland
MUHLHEIM JEWELRY STORE
Great Bend
DAWSON JEWELERS, INC.
Hiawatha
HIAWATHA JEWELERS
Hill City
HIXON JEWELRY
Lawrence
MARKS JEWELERS
Liberal
C. F. PATTERSON JEWELRY
Lyons
SLOOP JEWELRY
Manhattan
REED & ELLIOTT
McPherson
BRUNK JEWELERS
Norton
WORDEN'S JEWELRY
Ottawa
BOYER'S JEWELRY
Plainville
IVAN'S JEWELRY
Russell
LEWIS JEWELRY
Scott City
ROBERT'S JEWELRY
Topeka
HESS JEWELERS
Washington
DITMARS JEWELRY
Wellington
RILEY JEWELRY CO.
Wichita
WEHLING JEWELRY CO.
Is Your Money Running Low During The Christmas Season?
Don't worry! You can still go out this weekend. Take your date bowling.She'll love it, and she can bowl every other game
from 6 p.m. Fri. to 6 p.m. Sum.
Open 8:30 a.m. to
11:30 p.m.Mon.-Sat.
Open 1:30 p.m. to
11:30 p.m. Sun.
KANSAS UNION in the sub-sub basement UN 4-3545