Word: valets
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...surprisingly, the Coop's success story has involved a radical transformation of its goals and organization. The communal service of the original student-run cooperative has gone the way of valet service and wholesome meals in Harvard dining halls, to be replaced with the scientific business management that considers efficiency and profits the hallmark of successful enterprise. The Harvard Cooperative Society has entered the league of department stores like Jordan Marsh and Filene's, two of its Boston competitors. The Coop often selects its managers from among graduates of the nation's top business schools, and their tight-fisted handling...
...well, the most "clubby" of all the clubs. But when it comes to picking new members, they do what all the final clubs on campus do. "Punching" is one of those rituals the clubs are loathe to abandon; they've been doing it since the days when somebody's valet lived in my Adams House room. Members page through the freshman register and locate faces, names and addresses which might fit into their club. Then they issue invitations to cocktail parties, eager to see what the new prospects will drink and what they'll bring on their arms...
...bride of the second son of the first Baron Leconfield, for instance, undertook to photograph "all the dear servants at Petworth, 1860, when I came there." They include the butler, the underbutler, the park keeper, the keeper of the stallions, the coachman, the housekeeper. Lord Leconfield's valet, Lady Leconfield's maid, the French cook, the first groom of the chambers, and so on. Big houses often had as many as 50 people working downstairs. Yet strange as it may appear to the modern eye, the servants have the same look of calm self-assurance as the masters...
...never approved of my fancy apartment or my having a valet at the age of 23. And since he still wore baggy, ready-made suits from Sears, Roebuck, my custom-made clothes also offended his sense of prudent frugality...
...Baccarat bowl, and Degas prints. Returning after dinner, they find that the triple- sheeted bed has been turned down, with Godiva mints set on the pillow and a small bottle of cognac on the night table. Before retiring they put their shoes outside the door; the valet will, of course, polish them overnight...