St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-17

IOllOW.
The wages and conditions of employees
| in the other stores were similar to those
| just mentioned.
Finally, l was fortunate enough to
| get employment. | brought forth a
| handful OF references, mostly of my own
| manufacture, glibly Informed the man
ager that had a business college edu-
| cation, was perfectly willing to work
| year or more for So a week, in fact, l
| had learned by experience that it's the
proper thing to he quite elated at your
| good fortune in getting position.
| got pretty well acquainted with the
help while / staid. There were all
| kinds of girls; it was constant source
of amusement to me to study them.
First in the estimation of her compan-
ions came the handsome blonde, who
had bleached her hair and darkened her
eyebrows so as to get the proper con-
traSt. She lived at home, constantly
Informed us that she didn't have to
earn her own living unless she wanted
to, and spent all her spare moments in
studying plans for new costumes. If
she went to party or out to the lake in
the evening. the next day we less for
tunate mOrtals were told of the amount
OF admiration bestowed on her by the
gentlemen in general and how much
favored was the special young dude
whom she honored with her company.
This young lady didn't waste what
brains she had in selling goods, yet she
seemed to be quite favOrite in the
store. We girls used to listen in open
mOuthed wonder to her stories; then
when her back was turned call her
liar and tell each other how we hated
| her. liked her pretty well until she
ordered me to clean Oft her counter. /
rpfnCp6 and pnf rnnnrtnH for Ssnnf r
tending to customers" 1 admired her
and the class she represents from re-
Spectful distance after that.
Then there was the young lady of
''culchah." She talked with drawl,
was of.uncertain age, had read all the
latest novels, or at least the titles of
them, couldn't bear to associate with
the common rabble like myself, had
seen better days and told us how she had
f1ourished when ''dear papa lived" af-
fected plain dresses and gold eyeglasses
because they were aesthetic. 1 noticed,
however, that her yearningS for the in
finite didn't tend to make her cOntented
with the ordinary round of work, neither
did it destroy her appetite. l fed her
regularly for the fun of hearing her
talk.
These two girls had a large and ad-
miring crowd of imitatOrS, but the girl
whom l liked best was plain-looking,
hadn't particle of style about her,
didn't know very much outside of store
work, wore neat, sensible clothes,
hadn't any ambition to advertise new
styles by wearing them herself. She
was always ready to show new girl
about the work, had : kind word for
even the bundle boy, everybody left her
to pick up the odds and ends. In fact,
we all took advantage of her good nature
and often forgot to thank her, but she
never minded; she didn't expect any
thing.
found that advancement in wages
depends upon the number and amount
of sales made. This encourages a girl
to bring all her friends to trade in the
store where she clerks; it also has
tendency to make each girl smiling and
affable to wealthy customers who
make big purchases, and rather careless
of the plainly-dreSsed stranger. In the
Innocence of my heart | treated every
customer alike. but the girls soon taught
me the distinction between the various
classes. | think clerks are good stu
dents of human nature. 1t didn't take
long for me to learn to smile and bear
with the eXactiOnS of the wealthy Gus
toner and revenge myself by being
SASSY" to the humble purchaser.
The girls get all their goods at a re-
ductlon from regular prices, so that
their wages buy more than one would
think. The temptation to spend all
ones wages in dress is great. Many
girls have their wages taken up for
weeks ahead. 1t isn't bad plan, be-
cause she doesn't dare ask for raise of
wages or grumble at any eXactiOns of
her employer while in debt.
brought my dinner in basket the
nc%D
forever by so doing. All clerks who
don't go home to dinner go to the res
taurant, or at any rate pretend to. I
went to the restaurant next day with
the girls to see how they managed it.
Hardly anybody bought full meal;
cup of coffee and sandwich would do
to keep up appearances. Or, perhaps,
each would order dish apiece, and
then share with each other. The only
trouble with the restaurant plan is that
you don't get enough to eat without
paying from 25 cents to so cents meal,
and found it impossible to live on thin
air as some girls seemed to.
got tired of c]erking i'll about a
week: the girls were tired of my endless
questions, too, so took my So and
skipped. No one was sorry.
L found that many girls after working
four or five years do not earn more than
So week, and that does not mean as
much to her as it would to the factory
girl, because it costs her more to live in
proper style.
The clerk is often pretty, always en-
ergetic and good talker. Some have
barely education enough to handle the
figures in their cash books. but the ma
JOrity are quite intelligent. The work
Sharpens their faculties, and urges
them TO use every means of improve
ment within their reach.
The life seemed to me very monoto-
nous; there are not as many rules
about work as in the factory. but the
unwritten laws are numerous and forci-
BILE. The clerk is always Shivering in
her skin for fear that the employer will
not be pleased with the amount of her
sales, her personal appearance, or her
manner towards customers. The large
number who are always looking for this
sort OF work keep the wages of those
who are lucky enough to have place
down to the lowest notch.
1t is probably due to my want of ap-
probation that | had as soon work in a
factory as to clerk in a store. The girls
do not agree with me in this view.
In the millinery stores the usual
method of getting clerkship seems to
be to go as apprentice in the trimming
room and progress upwards. The rate
of wages is slightly higher than in the
dry, goods line, but steady employment
is the exception rather than the rule.
l also visited many confectionery
stores, but didn't succeed in getting
work. because the employer always
thought me too old and too homely.
1--WE want handsome young girls
about sixteen years old" they said; lit
doesn't take much ability to handle this
line of goods nrpttv Fl with
lively tongue can draw lots of trade.
Ihan we don't haua to nov tLo-o 1r;,.I.-