The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-23
WOMEN BEHIND COUNTERS
MORE 4BOUT THEIR EMPLOYMENT
AND THEIR HABITS.
Their Usefulness In stores Ms Compared with
men's-Tbe Merchants Estimaic of Them
Their Prcjudices aud their t.rtevRnces.

Mems The Merchants Estimnic of Them
Their Prejudicss aud their Grievances,
1t may be said as to the employ ement OF
women for clerks In stores-a topic used in a
recent article In TnE SUN-that merchants gen
| orally acknowledge that men in like positions
are given higher wages and moro advantages
The women emphatlcaliy assert that salesmen
have one-third to one-haif more pay, and, not
withstsndine, women are IN ore valuable Ia some
departments Of trade. As an illustration, they
say that A. T. Stewart & Co.'S corset depart
. ment few years ago was making 500 a week,
but when woman was put there, sister Of
Miss Cushman of Kinzev's, the figure went up
to $1,000 week. Purchasers had previously
preferred to go to a small store and buy corsets
where a woman waited upon them.
Women sometimes complain that saleswo-
man Is not attentive. Perhaps that saeswoman
has just had score Of shoppers =" who bought
nothing, and who did not Intend to buy. hut
who conducted their investig itions as thou1h
driving bargains. Saleswomen's sympathies in
cline toward commodities they cell, aud TO the
men who pay them to attend To sales. and de-
! 10 some degree as II would on the propriet ors.
| The daughters Of ariuonce. sometimes desig-
| mated carriage women" are said In general TO
| take up more time without buying. and on the
| whole to be more severe than any other class.
the clerk on sales is to make her in attentive 10
visitors who are only shopping :" VINO want TO
see styles and then make up their own material.
! Women choose the cool and sh DIV hours Of the
| dav, too. for going out To buy. and that To the
anxious to-be-released ssleswomsn. takes on
| the appearance OF . ssing the whole day In the
! comfort OF their houses, nd then running in at
! the last moment to ret some article, - though
life depended on the purchase, at the moment
when she Is about TO quit work. A half hour Is
thus often added to woman's labor, especially
~ the stor on some of tue avenues and the
| Dowery, where the hours OF trade are more
elastic tnan In Broadway.
UPPER AND LOWER RANKS
As strong feeling Of local rank, affected by
adheres to the counter as to the residences on
/ Fifth avenue or Avenue Il. 10 the employ e's
mind equally with that Of The employer Broad
"oh, don't mix our ladies' with those Of Grand
street and such places" said the jolly proprie-
comparing the hours and wages OF different es-
| tablishments. referred bv name to the great
hives Of business and employment In Grand
street and sixth avenue. AS long a. I've been
| In business never have been inside Of those
stores Our ladies are entirely different Don't
favorites among saleswomen. who tell their
good qualities one to another Said young
girl OF sixth avenue store, 1T Ia asplendid
"wbyi Howi You have told me OF Others
which have special merits for a saleswomaD.
and IN which his Is no better"
The wages and privileges are about the same.
but they seem to know who you are, and to
lhis was a girl hardly out OF the novice's
years. She was on the dropped list OF one Of
! the great stores. but had the good fortune to
get u summer engagement for The long Satur-
day evenings. She said Last week sent TO
the desk twenty-five cents by little cash Girl.
| 1t was tho purcnA-eIs payment. with tho article
bought The little cash lost It, at le ct she failed
| 20 Get VI to the desk, and 1t was made NV loss"
| This was one-tnird OF her wages for the even
| ing.
| A saleswoman. with a thorough knowledge of
her avocation. said Of another store There Is
| no better place In the city for a saeswoman.
with US there Is often such rush Of custom
that the su9erintendent sends around WORD To
VI, No lunch to-day AT night each has fifty
cents slipped into her h. nd, which she receives
busting. and feels almost ashamed to take. fur
! they are liberal with Us. We do not nind going
without the recess OF time. md rs for the food,
we send out for teu-cenI sAnIwich, winch We
can readily ind moment t. swallow. YET. for
all this slNht specu alton. We would rather have
the regular inl ermi-sion and leisurely iuuch i"
] Fcatui es OF kindness never csc pc the notice
| OF salesw'men. One said Of a merchtn " lie
Is not severe on hardness from lunch. aud we
can 20 out Two hours ana shop, by asking per-
mission
HOMES, PERCENTAGES. BEsr PLACES.
Tho young sri who felt the loss of quarter
OF doIiIr iHed IN one "i TIE few Hone:' or
sociations, where self supporting women can
board at three or four doll-rs week. ana have
the spacious DlflOrs, pleasant rooms. and album
dant food. all on a parwitn hignef priced board
Ing houses. Yet there l. ApreJud'cs regei ding
live IN the geuer.l world, like the salesman, and
90 have freedom fom surycian on side II
! business hours She imagints that Home"
| looks after the inmate. IN itlful way. One
! OF them, womnl thirty years OF axe said d"
:
sunocated than submit to RESTRICTIONS"
one store onl', 50 far as card -. is giving
PERCENTAGES on sales made. hisis large. pop
ulaf concern. aud the perceutlSes q tue s4les-
women OF the SILK SUIT department average a
! dollar and half day. in Auction 10 good sala-
\ mes. II can hardly be expected that this will
/ last. Ii came In with SPECIAL efforts to increase
! business and was introduces content Or me
ously with putting down prices To invite thrnng
/ OF customers, IS substitute for more select
patronase aud higher prices. houiiher tried
! percentage and abolished AZ. prouis being 50 un
/ equal IN the different douaTtmuut+
lhe more extensive the commodity to be
man. Inc best places In the great stores are the
heads OF silk suits departments, anu only thor
oushly experienced sseswomen get them. The
stOrss IN Eighth avenue. VIII has occupied the
same place Tor six years, is tlO aweek.
COMPARATIVE MERIT.
In general way, 1t may be said that good
saieswoman is fully the equal 81 any salesm an
for selling, but that she Is not as good m gene
ri work. such an looking after stock. Tho draw
pack seems To be that tue ssleswomAn does not
look upon the employment as lasting pursuit.
she SAYS to herself: On ! will do tins Tor
year or two, ani thun get married. SAID mer-
chant, I've So wish The good Of our saleswo
inen that We always bid them godrpeed wnen
] they leave us To get married ana We sometimes
sive them Mite wedding presents Naturally,
"hen they have matrlnoni i PROSPECTS,, they are
not 80 intent ON business. The remark ~ often
made, 81 think Miss Smith must be engaged.
She does not care ~ much aoout business
Mr.. Boutlllier acknow lodged that women 90
not have so good chance a. men, and saws thAt
IcswonAn seldom saves ANYTHING. In all the
tweuty years Of hH emploN INK sileswnmen, not
one h proved guilty Of dishonesty, aud only
one suspe ted. M Ridley SAID, They uis-
charge thsir duties As rule. more satisfactorily
than men. We have salesW omen who have been
at our counters for twelve wears"
nstrOn OF one the " Homes urged: -" In
TIE present deuTession ~ business, do not write
one word against tho mel, hant- Toe sales
women boarding with ne com plain not Of the
places, bat that they cannot get the places"
Yet IN the most thronged and hurried stores
| tho thin features and sunken eyes OF yuunx glrs
and little "cashes " are clear dem. nj for nc Q
air ana rest, and proof Of the nperlections 10
| 10 found everywhere Ia the spheres OF se.f.sup-
port.
MUCH SOUGHT FOR.
| The situation OF saleswoman Is much sought
! for. At every Vacancy Their Is knot Of com
petltois ready to take the place, II ID, indeed,
| one OF the most desired OF ayocations open to
women. Win all It's riga ex tctness, II has
CumpeusattOns. Although the hours are long,
they are fun OF variety. Tnr nay Is sure, and at
! the prompt moment, In all the lar-e houses /;
and womons wage. compared with mems. have
not 50 much Inequality as exists IA many other
anu more We ring aYocations.
Elephants AZ Travellers.
hroui me VI. Lout' Ciobe. Democrat
Howe's circus ana menngeiie was struck