Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-04-22
What Dry Goods Clerk has to Endure and
Hear.
GLOW much is this?"

Wueu tuey Colue lnIO SCOIe. Oue uoooA
want to buy anything. could tell that as
soon as I looked at her. She is what we
call a swap Give me man for custo-
mer, every time. They never know any
thing about it and will always rely on
fellows judgment. Oh, Lord! here comes
some 'quarter-sixes, Z" said the clerk, as ne
looked up the aisle at three ladies who were
coming toward his counter
"And what is a fquarter-six?'
"Oh, part of our slang vocabu-
larry, which means customer, who is hard
to please. A woman's bad enough when
alone, but when she has two or three
friends along with her to advise her she's
holy terror. Now you watch. If she
buys anything it will not be what she
wants, but what her friends want her to. !"
One of the ladies wanted to buy broca-
ded silk dress. Every piece in the stock
was,pulled down by the long suffering clerk
and spread on the counter before her.
"There, think 1 like that the best, ;"
said the would-be buyer, after much inspec-
ton and comparison. "Don't you, Nell
lie?"
''Well, yes; that's very pretty, dear; but
I believe this would suit you better after it
was made up
ooh, my, no, don't get that" interrupt
ed the third; ''you will find this vine here
much more becoming"
eyes, but, my dears,'' said the first
speaker 81 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"
s'But do want your advice about it.
"Well, 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 dressmaker.
sit is wonderful said the clerk, again
addressing the reporter, chow ladies fear
and are governed by their dressmal1ers. 1t
is the exception when lady will buy out
and out what she wants. She always says,
'FWell, I'll take sample of this and show
it to Madam So and So, and if she likes it
I'll get it, l have known ladies to bring
back piece of goods that they lad bought
and liked it very much because their dress
makers would not let them have it. The
dressmakers are an awful nuisance to u.s..
care you annoyed much by people COM
ing in and wanting to see goods with no
intention of buying?" asked the reporter.
''Indeed we are-'shoppers' we call them.
We always railroad them along by direct.
ing them to some other counter"
"Do you find it necessary to adopt differ
ent methods in attending different custo-
mers?'
Certainly. No two people can be
treated alike. There is still greater diff
ference in different stores. In some houses
a salesman must be a very adroit talker in
deed; in other houses it doesn't matter so
much. Then there are all sorts of tricks
and lodges for hurrying slow customers by
and inducing them 10 buy what they want.
"a favorite dodge of mine when l see
customer just waverlng between taking
and leaving the goods is to go off little
way and send cash boy to friend at the
other end of the store and tell him to work
the snap l send a sample of the goods
along with the boy. He understands it.
Presently he comes tearing over as though
his life depended on it, waving the sample.
He 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. I can't help that, tell him.
He should have taken it when it was in the
fixture. Pm showing it now; when l am
through, if it is not sold I'll send it over
to him. But it always is sold-right off,
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, and wanted to match
it.'
"We haven't got it, madam"
"Why, that's funny. How do you know
you haven't got it in all that lot of silks?
1t came from here"
Il beg your pardon, we never kept it"
sob, know you did; got it myself"
Every well, We haven't it now. That's
the nearest" and l pulled down the piece
three or four shades different.
'Oh, that's not 1t, at ALL
81 know it, but it's the nearest She
peered along the shelves, pointed to roll
aud said, That looks like it, So l took it
down.
ooh that's brocaded, isn't it9'' she ask
ed.
eyes, ma am
"Well- ah-there! There's piece that
l 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
ooh, dear me; that's too expensive. 1
wanted about dollar silk
81 knew you did, madam; but we haven't
got it, Then she went away mad. II
got even with one Of them the other day,
though. She had a sample of brown cash
mere to match. / knew we had not the ex-
act shade, but something pretty near. So
l took that piece down and let the end |
drop over my side of the counter. Then,
with her sample as pattern, cut off a
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
perfect match, and she took the goods"
81 suppose you have the same quality of
goods marked different prices?"