Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-07-02
Selling Suits.

"This is singular business, indeed"
said the fapper clothing clerk, whom a
reporter had asked to talk about the art
of selling ready-made goods IN Detroit.
Its regular daisy of an occupation for
wrecking patience and destroying peace
OF mind. There's nothing like it for
ruGling temper, and the worst of 1t IS
you've got to keep smooth face and
preserve your air of pleasantly through
1t all. "
What disturbs you most ?"
THAT'S hard to tell. There are a
great many annoyances that are equal
in magnitude. It's difficult to pick out
the worst of them all. The man who
comes in ara keeps fellow about an
hour pulling down suits and exhibiting
them. and then goes out saying that he
IS only looking round to-day, is pretty
bad. Another favorite' with us IS the
man who selects his suit, then says III
Just step over to the bank, goes out and
fails to return. These gentry are a
great deal mole numerous than you
would imagine. But, after all, few
gentlemen give us so much trouble as
lady customers. Now, hope am not
discourteous to the ladies, but the fact
remains"
What's the matter with the ladies2"
''Oh, they are so confident that they
know about all there is TO learn about
clothing. Some ladies, of course, are
fine customers, and make an exception
in their favor. 1t is the women who
come in, look garment all over, feel
carefully of each individual fibre of the
goods, rub it against their cheeks and
chin and even chew the threads that
aggravates. Only to-day lady, who
had been chewing vigorously for some
time on a cotton thread, said: Il know
this is wool, but Is 1t all wOol?'' and |
assured her it was. Ordinarily won't
do that sort of thing, hut can't bear
the over-cOnfidence in their own know.
ledge of this sort of ladies'"
''Is this notion that they know all
about cloth common among lady-cus.
tOmers?"
''Very. Only of course it is not SC
strong in many. Yesterday an instance
occurred that is in point here. A lady
came in with her husband to buy suit.
! gave him a coat that fit him very
snugly for one not custom-made. She
said she had made too many coats to
be fooled on their fit. / then gave him
one that creased up the back, bumped
at the shoulders, and had sleeves half a
foot too long. She took it. saying:
There, that's much more like il That
showed the extent of her alleged long
term of service at coat making"
'Whom do you prefer to sell to-"
1.-The man that comes in with a
definite idea of the sort of suit he
wants, names 1t, says how much he de-
sires to pay and then when he gets il
takes it, pays for it and goes. This
sort OF customer is a delight to the
salesman and gets very careful atten-
ton and the best treatment from clerks
while customer who founders around
hCpelessly among the vast number Of
suits he has seen gets us tired, and nine
times out of ten doesn't get so good d
bargain or lit as the one that knows
what he wants and comes for it. But
this class of custom is none too numer-
GUS. When you reflect upon the vast
variety OF human nature that drifts into
a clothing store every day perhap:
you'll -gln TO think the sale of clothing
Is pretty near tine art. p"
"Elucidate, please.'
The moment customer approache:
a fellow has got to size him up, boil
financially and otherwise, and decide
about how to tackle HIM. It's very easy
matter TO insult man who wants Il
buy high priced suit by suggesting
something low and it's long way from
the proper thing to strike lnan who i:
thinking of about s. suit with one
from Sl5 OF SIS.
Il suppose even the best statesmen
get left sometimes?n
''By large majority. Idon't count
myself particularly slow, and my very
hest record is two weeks without losing
a single customer"