The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-16

arrival time b quarter past seven. hut the sales.
women AT each counter alternate i'm arriving at
eight and half past eight About one-third Of
the fun force must be there at the opening. Mr..
Macy, n pioneer in the employment Of sales
women, IL giving his two hundred n half holiday
every Saturday through July and August, thus
closing hts thronged store at noon on every
Saturday for one-siKth part Of tho yenr. MACY
began business eighteen ycars ago. with women
behind tho counters. He has women foor-
walkers, women clerks, little germs Of women
for cashcs." a woman superintendent, has bad
women buyers, and a woman partner.
STANDING AND SITTING.
Retail merchants usually allow their saleswo-
men TO sit when they have no customers 20 DO
waited upon. About = third "a many stools are
provided behind the counter as there are clerks,
II being neither convenient nor desired that all
Ait At once In the thriving houses. between the
hours of ten and Ave, there is little opportunity
for sitting down. some prominent stores en-
ploying large numbers Of women have no seats
FOR their clerks. One Of these merchants said ::
when II Is necessary for them TO sit down they
can go In front Of the counter. There are stools
there" Another said: "If necessary, they can
go to the dressing room and sit down little
while" These professcd liberties are practical
ssnce ,U1 rsd sanstanty rnssne mn
and down, saleswOmen are not inclined TO go In
front Of the counter and take scat, nor to alb
sent themselves in the dressing rooms So strict
ase the surveillance and the standing obliga-
lions that. In place of taking an absurd seat In
front Of the counter, the snleswoman hnds her.
self quickly rebuked H. with the ingenuity of
tedious fatigue, she pulls out one Of the draw
ers under the counter few inches 90 rest her
foot on IL in the odd moments. The trick Is i'm
modiately detected, and II IA not safe TO do IL a
second time, for a store IA not school OF adj
charge is the rule Of business, and the woman
who o hs, 6eco%e gTac,nIsd 81. inevitably n
evtably student OF dispositions, and her OPP
portunlties are great for observing character.
While her visitor may be intent only on getting
suited, the experienced saeswonan soes, with
out betrayng her knowledge, all their capri
cious movements and cantankerous ways"
REQUIREMENTS.
Ridley employs more saleswomen than any
other two merchants, and go to 800 men answer
the advertisements which this mammoth firm
insert at the beginning OF every season. One
quarter of his whole force are required to be
able to speak German and he has salcswomen
who speak French and spanish. The Broadway
and west side stores make no requirement.,
be eighteen years of age Il preferred. Old
ones are considered better, "a being moro expc-
renced. Dress II unrestricted, yet good dress
helps a saleswoman as well as any other woman
and ipost OF them, especially in the broadway
to be economy: 81 could neither get nor hold
my place II | were less dressed II costs me
more for my business clothes than 1t used 10 for
my good clothes, said middle-accd woman
holding a prominent position In a fashion estab-
lishment Another In n broadway store. nj the
head Of the silk suit department, said There
ia restriction to Dress but they prefer black
In nearly all the stores a man Is still at the
head Of each department of sale. He Is gener-
ally " fioor-walker' at the same time and be-
ing the responsible director of certain counters,
the suiting OF capricious tastes that a saleswo-
man steps up TO him and asks; How much
drawers 1e YOU with " Twelve t""Ss or 1ru For how
much would You put frill around tho bottom
OF a chemiseS'' the present fashion Of scant
drapery suggesting 10 many a woman To make
one garment serve for two. Few stores have
given to woman the position Of buyer" one
large store IN sixth avenue, however. has a wo-
man buyer with a salary AZ 5000 year
Most ~ the large dry goods establishments al
low TO their regular employees. all who have
served them year to a year and a half, a weeks
vacation In the summer with full pay, and the
money Is given TO them at the beginning Of the
term. Other stores give two weeks with pay
for one. One store gives half week with pay.
MATRIMoNY.
Between the statesmen and saleswomen OF
1Ss sss' oa s9a soF Ss S SopssPs
This Is rule almost without ex-
ception: There seems to he little mutual attrac-
saleswoman l. the wife OF a salesman In the same
store. Even Mr. lie Boutiler can remember OF
but one instance where a salesman thus married
Il saleswoman. and they were both discharged
THE salcswoman sees too much Of her men
companions, said one superintendent. "Sho
knows them too we'll, said another. Conyersa-
tions with saleswomen themselves confirmed
these assertions. Many a saleswoman continues
in her ocoupation,like school teacher, from year
to year meeting no Involvement exceeding her
own moderate Independence and so a decade
passes by. A one OF them said on the subject:
said II cheerfully perhaps thinking Of her $50
week salary and percentages, In one OF the
Very bc-t situations OF the kind In the city. She
j. under thirty years of age, with two or three
languages at her tongues end. and thorough
knowledge Of everything nppertainng to her
department OF business, via. the intrioacies and
clegances OF a woman's wardrobe. Yet the
women Of the counters do marry. aud. In bus-
ness view to the employers, there Is difference
between the marriage of salesman and a
salcswoman. The salesman then has more
induccmcnt 10 work than ever The sales
woman ahandons her place altogether.
Are you not bothered by your saleswomen
marrying onY' The merchant replied " Yes
we are somewhat inconvenenced by 1t. because
IL Is always the best ones who get married.
Otherwise II wouldn't bother us AT ALL since
for every one who leaves there six glad To
get her place
Married women are rare among the bellies OF
the counter In all Ridley hundreds there are
not more than ten or twelve, and most Of the
large stores count not more than one to three.
Those usually have been married from the coun-
ter. and return to It the reduction Of the hus-
band from better circumstances.