Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-01
WHAT MAKES GOOD SALES.
WOMAN.
Beauty Not an Unmixed Advantage
Tests OF Temper and Tact.

From the New York Sun.
"Do you have many applications for work
from saleswomen?" asked reporter of the man
ager of large uptown store.
"We can get all we need at short notice" he
replied. Most of the ladies like to hail from
large concern like ours. But it is not SO
easy to find many who are fully up to our stand
ard"
"What is the Standard"
"The question is not easy to answer. We ex-
pect lady to be quiet yet confident; alert and
wide awake, yet polite and agreeable; easy an d
frank, yet possessing touch of frmness, and
not SO outspoken as to injure trade In fact. a
good salesady Is rather complex article under
a simple exterior. Patience and GOODNESS are
among the best points they can possess. 1 some
times feel obliged. In a doubtful case. to test an
applicant upon this point OF equanimity by try
ing the effect of some little aggravating remark.
Ii she remains cool and pleasant her chances are
good; If she colors or bites her lips am forced
to regard her as inexperienced, and put her in
some simple department-hosiery. for example
One of the instincts that an inexperienced girl
has to contend with is the tendency to stiffen up
+ a customer becomes a little disagreeable But
could pick out good saeslady much more
lastly than can describe her,
''Is beauty desirable point3"
ION the whole think its importance is over
view, what is called an attractive girl, who is
graceful and has fair figure. Many of our best
salesladies are not remarkable for physical
charms. though all are agreeable in manner.
Some houses make point of beauty. It is
thought to be useful at counters freuuented by
gentlemen but we have often been obliged to
displace saleslades for keeping gentlemen i'm
conversation. The art Is to say lust enough to
effect the sales and dispose of the customer
when business commences to degenerate into
L. Al
often have to CALI them, that is. send
them on message to distant part
of the establishment as hint /
think it is quite possible that larger sales at
higher profits are sometimes made i'm the de-
partments of mems furnishing goods by hay
ing gOOd-loOking girls behind the show cases
Nevertheless, do not think that. as a whole,
we consider the value of a pretty girl, in the
wages market, to be greater than that of q
palmer girl who is as attractive in other re-
spects We do not pay more for beauty unless
1t Is combined with other high qualities In
the cloak and other trying-on departments per-
sonal charms are Of great value, OF course and
command high wages; but even here it is more
matter OF figure and graceful movement than
of face. 1t 10 perhaps advantageous to have
handsome, reaned-lOoking girls In the lace aud
embroidery departments. In the silk and trim
miugs department we require good taste, a
faculty for nice drapng and quick eye for COL
Ors united with genius for matching fabrics
Wo pay Wc1i III tilc5O departments, anu IN Sc.
Letting ladies for them good looks have only a
secondary place. Some OF the ladies, as you
will notice, are quite plain, but all are nice
looking.
"Women perfectly suitable for the trimmed
hat department are certainly born, not made
! assure you that few Of the fine arts are more
difficult than that of selling ladies' hats. The
hats, with their velvets, Silks laces, flowers,
feathers and passementeries, are very COM
pick articles. To be able to choose the par
ticular one from stock that Is most suitable
and becoming to customers features CON-
plex;on, age and style requires natural gifts Of
high order. Ladies' are always studying
dress, more or less, but the number who can
trim hat tastefully, and who know what is
most becoming to them, is small. They feel
this and although they are often very opinion
ated in other matters of Dress they are quite
apt to depend much upon any saleslady In this
department whom they believe to be really
competent Hence the need of the best talent
here. and, as the best talent is always In de-
mand, the prices for it are high"
why do they object to being called sales
women2''
81 don't know"