Wichita eagle., 1889-12-21
LUNCHES FOR sALEswoMEN.
How Some Of tho Large Stores Provid
for Their Employees.

How Some of tho Large Stores Provide
for Their Employees.
With no one is the lunch question
30 important as with the prsprietors CT
the large cry goods stores. The army
of clerks must eat, they must eat regu-
larly, and they ought to eat well, in
order to he able to stand their fatigu-
ing work. AT the same time business
must be attended to, for the customers
come at all hours, lunch or no lunch.
1t would be impossible to allow the
clerks to 60 out of the stores for their
lunches. because they would lose too
much time; they have to be at theii
posts like the soldier. There is aetrict
discipline IN all large dry good stores
and certain daily routine, and these
are kept Up rigidly, and the one who
offends would in vain ask for mercy.
Nothing makes a woman more hun
CRY than speaking constantly for a
length of time, and if to this is added the
fatigue OF standing for several hours,
it is not to be wondered that the dry
goods clerks greet that hour of lunch
with rapture. Il Is the only time dur
ing the whole day when they are al
lowed to put aside their business mask,
and take OIL the harness of their daily
toll. Then they are not forewomen,
or statesmen or cash girls; they are Or
binary hu1aan beings who have a
right to laugh and talk, to cat and
drink without pleasing any one but
themselves.
The lunch hour is the only time
during the working day they may rest
their weary limbs without neglecting
their duties. The ordinary lunch time
is between 70 and o'clock, but all
girls cannot leave their posts at once.
They usually go one or two at time,
for it would hardly do to spare more
than that number from the same
counter The forewoman who is re-
sponsible for the order and discipline
ia her department sends them accord
ing to how they can be spared.
Many of the large dry goods stores
have room off the warerOOms where
the clerks can take their lunches, and
all by themselves, away from the bust
ness. A good many OF the girls bring
their lunches from home; OF course,
they are cold and consist of sand
wiches, cakes, fruit, etc. If they de-
sire something warm they make cup
of tea or coffee, which is easily and
quickly done on the gas jets. Usually
the friends club together for a little
tea or coffee party, and sometimes d.
vide their lunches to procure some va
riety.
If they have money to spare and
feel like eating some dessert they send
one of the errand boys to a neighbor-
ing baker store for cakes or sweets.
Some girls also send for restaurant
lunch and divide one portion in two
parts They can thus get a good lunch
for two for twenty i've or thirty cents.
But in dry goods stores where the pro-
prietor feels responsible for his en-
ployes' welfare he provides hot lunch
for all those of his clerks who desire it.
1t mostly consists of soup, tea, cot
fee, three or four different kinds of
meat, vegetables, and bread and but
ter. The clerks are waited on proper
ly and order what their palates desire
and their purses can stand. They are
good lunches, well cooked, substantial
and very cheap. One or two of thess
stores are said to serve lunches as
good as regular dinners. Ten to fiji
teen cents pays for lunch for which
the customer Of a high priced restau-
rant would pay from forty to fifty
cents. The proprietor makes nothing
out of it; it is done solely 70 accom-
modate the clerks
1t would be very good if all owners
of large dry goods stores would do the
same for their employees, for it is
weary and fatiguing work to stand.
work and talk in store from s o'clock
in the morning until s in the evening.