St. Landry democrat., 1884-11-15
FLOOR.WALKERS.

Whence They Come and What They Dc
How to Deal with Customers-An Occu.
patton Which Requires knowledge of the
World-Courtesy, Not Obsequiousness.
VI all the creatures of metropolitan
commercial fe the most interesting and
fascinating is the foor-walker. A walk
ing directory, a street guide, and die
tionary of names, he also enjoys the
distinction Of being considered the lead
ing man of the house, If not one of the
principal partners. Polite to rich and
poor alike, he is continual ray of sun
shine. He is found most active and
most at home in the great business
houses of Chicago. He knows the store
from cellar to garnet, and where thou
sand and one questions are asked daily
he is ready with thousand and one
prompt answers. The women, who are
apt to be the principal customers, are
the recipients of his most solicitous at
tentions. The pink of politeness, he is
regarded by most of them as an au-
thority on all questions of dress and
etiquette. He has faculty for remem-
bering names which would astonish a
hotel-clerk. Then, he has the adYan-
tage of the hotel-man in understanding
the peculiarities of his customers. He
is something more than dictionary of
names, and something less than q fash
template. Though scrupulously neat
he is never extravagantly dressed. Dia-
monds possess no especial attraction for
him, except when they are seen upon
the person of customer, and vet he
understands as well as anybody that
M To-
cases. He has better means of settling
questions of financial standing, for be
may go to the manager, his superior,
who is supposed to know all things
movable.
JUST WHAT THE FLooR-wALKER is
To explain the exact position of a
'foor-WalFer to the outside world, ac-
cording to one authority, it may be
given as that of assistant manager, the
term foor-walker having been gradual
1y applied as being more explanatory
of his duties. In most large retail
stores the space is divided up into de-
partments, each one OF which is under
the care of foor- walker, as, for in
stance, the lace department, the silk
department, and the hosiery depart
ment. Then there are several who are
expected to keep close watch about
the front door whose especial duty is to
welcome visitors and direct them to the
department where the goods they de-
sire can be found. They are response
BILE for the behavior of a certain num-
Der of clerks and cash boys, to whom
they are equally terror and an object
of envy. 1t is generally admitted that
r. 10 rc IN hn II
behavior of q fioor-Walker as there is in
his business tact and powers of obserVa-
ton. To insure success he must
be a thorough optimist whose sunny
views of life must not be shaken by a
cross word from the proprietor, or an
insult or series of insults from the
customers. He would make q poor
Hamlet, but the best paid member of
the craft in Chicago is said to be fine
comedian. He is considered an exam
pie unto all his feIloW-sinners, because
his conduct is always the same, and he
can tell the most outrageous lie and the
most solemn truth in the same melan-
.choly and earnest tones. He works in
an establishment owned by two part
ners, and half the customers know him
as one partner and the other half as the
other. 1t makes no difference to him,
and he never thinks of correcting the
mistake. Nor does he fear the wrath
of the proprietor, Tor they regard him
as their representative in most of the
duties he performs; and, as people
va lie most highly little acts Of polite
ness coming direct from the head of a
large bazaar, the courtesies extended by
the subaltern if received under this il
fusion are just as valuable.
NOT AN ABUNDANT ARTICLE.
s'You must not get the impression, -
said Aoor-walker in one OF the large
State street stores, '.that foor.walker
can be picked mp ust anywhere. Plenty
of good honest fellows try it and fail. |
There is, you might say, q constant
procession of such men coming and
going from this store. The positions
are sought on account of the liberal pay
and what seems to he easy
work. There are few who do succeed |
in making themselves useful, but out
side of these the others come and 60.
They fail to catch the idea of the work,
and. instead Of tightening the burdens
of those under them by keeping things
systematized, and giving an impetus to
trade by their attentions to customers, |
they only succeed in getting in the way
as o ten as possible. There, now you /
can catch my meaning! Did you see
that fellow collide with the cash-boy? |
And see that too; hO turns to scold the |
boy and steps on woman $ dress, an
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