Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-19
WONEN'S DEPARTMENT,
sDsrED BIZ szLLs MEADE SMITH.
shep Manners.


ShOp Manners.
The shop manners of Los Angeles
No uniformly bad. Occasionally an
Dhliging clerk or an afable young
Lady steps forward to receive pur-
chaser; but in nine cases out of ten,
cpstomers are greeted with grunts and
ftowns or profound silence / have
heard innumerable strangers say that
they did not like to buy anything
here. because they were 80 ungra'
ciously waited upon; while upon one
occasion a lady from San Francisco
laughingly said to me, 81 don't thinl
1 shall attempt to do any more shop
ping in Los Angeles; for am treated
With so much disrespect by the store
girls, that have come to the conclus
ion that they see am from the North
and go resent my presence" They
don't care where you are from" re-
sponded another lady who had
chanced to overhear the remark "or
what you are. The Los Angeles store
girls are disagreeable to everybody
Some years ago, Kate Fields in 8
magazine article cruelty assaulted
shop-girls. She asserted that they
were ill-bred, low-born and presump'
tious; and in Language
which 1 cannot recall, ridi.
culed their assumption and
their mannerisms. At the time,
I was conducting the Woman's De.
paxtment Of an obscure weekly; and
although was aware that my influ'
ence was extremely limited, I availed
myself of my position to respond to
her unwarrantable attack. Many Of
my warmest friends and several of my
kinswomen were shop-girls; while l
chanced to know that behind the
counters were to be found as perfect
ladies as were to be found anywhere
else. Besides, realized then, as |
realize now, that not one woman out
Of an hundred would, from choice,
seek this method Of employment; and
that to thus make sport of her neces-
sites, was, to say the least of it. un-
kind. Then, too, I have always had
keen sympathy for the weak or the
weary girl who day after day is COM
PEELED to stand upon her feet and to
handle wares often too heavy for her
to lift without injury; while with her
prosecutions from that restless crea-
ture, "the professional shopper" l
can sincerely say good Lord deliver
u.s." Moreover, without the slightest
violation of conscience, l can state
that at no time and under no circum-
stances, did ever give whit Of
needless trouble, or ask without
honest intentions the price of
one article. Therefore, 1 claim
that when l smilingly approach
q counter, and pleasantly ask
for whatever it is want. l am enti-
tied to responsive degree of courte-
sy. But / regret to say that in Los
Angeles do not receive it. Indeed,
so unpleasant have been my shopping
experiences that unless storekeepers
can revolutionize their establishments
I should seriously advise them to in
troduce behind their counters auto
matte images, to which were append
ed telegraphic wires. 1t might take
considerable time to get such a COM
Rlication of mechanism into success
SUD motion, but when fairly under way
il certainly would work more easily
than the present system. Looking al
the question from another standpoint,
at would seem, too, that not only the
purchasers, but the clerks themselves,
would be benefited by the cultivation
Of more agreeable spirit. Frowns
deepen into burrows, scowls into sui.
aen expressions; while curt answers,
If too often given, become habitual
instead of occasional. 1t is an ac-
knowledged fact that he or she >espe-
cialiy she) who would grow old grace
fully should make a practice of being
amiable and of keeping the fea-
lures in peaceful repose. It is said
that the lovely complexion and
the beauty which is so loath to de.
sert the nuns and the Sisters of Chari-
ty is due to their serene lives, and the
habit they have Of daily composing
their features in meditation and de-
votion. If this is true, and there is
abudant reason to think it is, then O
sweet spirit is more effectual in its
results upon the countenance than are
any of the toilet accessories to which
the majority If women resort. But to
return to the original discussion. Both
clerks and customers have inherent
rights which ought to be mutually re-
spected but rs the former is more OF
less dependent upon the patronage O
the latter, and as, moreover, he o.
she is paid to expose goods and t.
state their value, etc., honor shoult
regulate the department of the one
while kindness of heart allied to cour
tesy can only determine the manne
of the other.
The Elements Of Success.
One OF the most knotty problem
which the thoughtful mind is cause,
to confront is the success of the few
and the failure of the many who's
names are inscribed upon the roll
call of public favor. As we lool
about us we see ignorant, egotistica
men go up, and brilliant, modest mel
go down, in the scale in which the,
are weighed, and we cannot fathon
why the latter are found wanting. NJ
one is at loss to understand tn,
shipwreck Of him who is especially
the slave of any form of vice; fol
that evils such as wine, women ane
cards if carried to an excess, will il