Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-04
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SALES
WOMAN.
Beauty Not an Unmixed Advantage
Tests of Temper and Tact.
Van yo,.I. St,s


-Ye1o York Sun.
S'DO you have many applications for
work from saleswOmen" asked a reporter
of the manager Of large uptown store.
"We can get all we need at short no.
tice,' 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 standard"
''What is the standard?"
''rhe question is not easy to answer.
We expect a lady to be quiet, yet conf
dent; alert and wide-awake, yet po-
lite and agreeable: easy and frank,
yet possessing touch Of hrmness, and
not so OutspOken as to injure trade. In
fact, a good saleSfady is rather a complex
article under a simple exterior. Patience
and GOODNESS are among the best points
they can possess. sometimes feel obliged,
in a doubtful case, to test an appli-
cant upon this point of equanimity by
trying the effect of some little
aggravating remark. If she remains cool
and pleasant, her chances are good; if
she cOiOrs 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 stitfen up if a customer
becomes a little disagreeable. But |
more easily than / can describe her.
"Is beauty a desirable point?"
son the whole, think its Importance
is Overrated. | should prefer, from a
business point of view, what is called an
attractive girl who is graceful and has
fair figure. Many of our salesladies are
not remarkable for physical charms,
though all are agreeable in manner. Some
houses make a point of beauty. 1t is
1trht IN 10 a fro
quented by gentlemen; but we have often
been obliged to dIsplace salesladies for
| keeping gentlemen in conversation. The
art is to say just enough to effect the sales
! and dispose of the customer when bust
ness commences to degenerate into
chatter. Beauties are hard to take
care of; we often have to
cali them-that is, send them
on message to a distant part
of the establishment as hint. l think it
! quite possible that larger sales at higher
| profits are sometimes made in the depart
/ ments Of mems furnishing goods by hav-
! 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 a palmer girl who is
as attractive in other respects. We do
not pay more for beauty unless it is COM
bined with other high qualities. In the
cloak and other trying-On depart
ments personal charms are of great
! value, of course, and command
! high wages; but even here it is
more a matter of figure and graceful
movement than of face. Mt is perhaps
advantageous to have handsome, refined.
looking girls in the lace and embroidery
departments. In the silk and trimmings
departments we require good taste, fac.
ulty for nice draping, and quick eye fol
cOlOrs, united with a genius for matching
fabrics. We pay well in these depart
ments, and in selecting ladies for then
good looks have only a secondary place
Some of the ladies, as you will notice, are
quite plain, but all are Mite looking.
"Women perfectly suitable for the
trimmed-hat department are certainly
born, not made. | assure you that few o
the fine arts are more difficult than tina
of selling ladies' hats. The hats, will
their velvets. silks, laces, flowers, feath
erS and passementeries, are very complies
articles. To be able to choose the par
ticular one from stock that is mos
suitable and becoming to customer
feature, complexion, age and style
requires natural gifts of a high or
der. Ladies are always studyin.
dress more or less, but the number VIII
can trim hat tastefully, and who know
what is most becoming to them. is small
They feel this, and although they ar
often very opinionated in other matters Q
dress, they are quite apt to depend mucl
upon any saleslady in this department
whom they believe to be really cOmpe
/, tent Hence the need of the best talen
here, and, as the best talent is always i
/ demand, the prices for it are high
"Why do they object to being Gale
, saleswomen?
81 don't know"