St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-26
BEHIND THE COUNTER.
Trials of "a Dry-GOOds Clerk in a
Metropolitan store and HOW He
EndureS Them.


Chicago News.
How much is this?"
The lady who made the inquiry tilted her
gOld-rimmed eyeglasses forward and looked
critically at piece of pink silk lying on the
counter in large dry-goods store.
six dollars, madam"
''What, a yard?"
The clerk looked as though he wanted to
say No, quart, but simply nodded IN
very tired way As the lady passed on he
turned to New York Herald reporter who,
seated on a red-velvet-topped stool, had
been listening to the dialogue.
''I'll bet, > said he, THAT one woman out
of every six asks that question. The most
of them are very queer cattle, anyway,
when they come into store. She doesn't
want to buy ANYTHING. l could tell that as
soon as looked at. her. She is what we
call swap Oh, Lord! here comes some
'quarter-sixes, " said the clerk, as he looked
I'D the aisle at three ladies who were COM
ing toward his counter.
And what is 'quarter-siX?
''Oh, part of our slang vocabulary,
which means a customer who is hard to
please"
one of the ladies wanted to buy bro
caded silk dress. Every piece in the stock
was pulled down by the long-sufterlng
clerk and spread on the counter before her:
There. I think like that best" said
the would-be buyer, after much inspection
and comparison. Don't you, Nellie?"
.sWell. yes, that's very pretty, dear; but
believe this would suit you better after it
"Oh. nv. no, don't get that" inter
rupted the third; ''you will find this vine
here much more becoming"
YES, but, my dears," said the first
speaker, II really like this pattern better
than the others: but if you think"
''Oh. don't let us influence you, May.
The dress is for you, and"
but do want your advice about 1t"
.sWeu. then. what do you think OF that
flower design over there? Now. that would
make up charmingly."
And so the conversation continued until
the lady who was to have the dress was
dissuaded from getting what she liked and
took SAMPLES Of the other pieces to show
to her dress-maker.
Are you annoyed much by people com
ing in and wanting to see goods with no in
tentiOn of buying?" asked the reporter.
.Indeed we are-'shOppers' we call
them. We always railroad them along by
directing them to some other counter.
ga favorite dodge of mine when L see a
customer lust wavering between taking and
leaving the goods is to go off little way
and send cashboy to friend at the other
end of the store and tell him to work the
'snap. [ send sample of the goods
along with the boy He understands it.
100, though
his life depended on it, waving the sample.
lie grabs up the cloth from in front OF the
lady. who is still heSitating. / stop him,
Of course-want to know what he means,
and get very angry He must have that
piece right off: he has just sold twenty-five
Yards Of it. | can't help that, | tell him.
He should have taken it when it was III the
fixture. I'm showingit now; when L am
through if it is not sold, I'll send it over to
him. But it is always sold-right OF, too,
always"
''What is the most troublesome kind OF
customer you have?"
The matching fend. A fair specimen
of that class came in this morning. She
had a little sample of thin, drab silk, worth
about dollar yard, aud wanted to match
it.
. we haven't got it, madam said.
Z" why. that's very funny. How do you
know you haven't gotit i'll all that lot of
silks? 1t came from here
- I beg your pardon, we never kept it. ,
"'Oh. [ know you did; got it myself
" Very WELL we haven't itnOw. That's
the nearest and pulled down piece
three or four shades different
- oh, that's not it at all
- 4 know it, but it's the nearest She
peered along the shelves, pointed TO roll
and says, That looks like it, So took it
down. >
=. oh, that's brocaded, isn't it," she
asked.
- Yes, ma'am'
&" Well-ah-therel There's a piece
that I know is it. It's just exactly the
shade. Oh. yes-there. l knew you had
it all the time. How much is this?
- Eight dollars, madam
g oh. dear me: that's too expensive. l
wanted about dollar silk
II knew you did. madam, but we
haven't got it Then she went away mad.
got even with one of them the other day,
though. She had sample of brown cash
mere to match. | knew we had not the
exact shade. but something pretty near. So
| took that piece down and let the end drop
over my side of the counter. Then, with
her sample as pattern, | cut off new
sample just the same shape as the Old one,
threw the old one away and laid the new
one on the cloth. Of course it was a per-
feet match and she took the goods.
She Had a. -A~-.4.- ace.
When she visited Victoria. British Column
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