The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-05-11
CLERKS AND THEIR WORK.
Their Community of Interest Limited.
Some of Their Difficulties.

10 speak of clerks in IL general way rs
though there were much or anything in COM
mon among them i'll point of work, rcqnirc-
mcnts interests and tho like would be utterly
wrong said ono of a number of employees,
representing different kinds of establishments, 5,
When questioned about their calling. Tho
members of the various crafts llavc Il much
greater equality of work, n much stronger
bond OF Union, and less striking differences of
social standing than We The most casual
observer can readily understand that when
tho kinds of goods handled vary from jewclry
to hardware, from books to junk supplies,
from silks aud laccs to meat and groceries,
and that different types of character, dress
and manners are practically ncccsSitatcd hv
different kinds of business there can bc no
unanimty of interest among lis save only the
dollars anu cents we get out of our work. We
have calling merely i'll tho sense that we arc
Instruments of transfer between widely diff
lerent classes of proprctors and patrons
Hence our cliqucs, in so far as wc have any,
arc mostly of personal friendships and limited
to the employees of Il single store
~ peculiar feature of clerk life is that wc
naturally grade of by steps, according to the
kind ol store we aro in, from easy, scmi-pro
lcssional positions to tho positions of ordinary
laborcrS. Apart from fcw stores where
tome special skill or aptitude is necessary,
think that tho annoyanccs incident upon
clcrkinS lessen and tho pay improves us the
work required becomes moro laborious
This, of course, is easily cNplainablc. The
annoyanccs spring largely from peoples un-
certaintics and whinls and these crop out
moro i'll matters of taste, dress aud the lux
uries OF life than i'll the necessities. 1t is also
observable that employees gravitato toward
easy places and thus lessen the demand in
that direction
People rarely so into II grocery, Il hard.
ware store OF n wholesale house without
wanting to buy, and they usually know what
they want. The work done 10y the employees
of such stores is usually hard, but it almost
invariably results i'll sale and is not attended
by tho endless answering of questions and
taking down of goods SO noticeable i'll some
other kinds of stores. In other words the
work all counts and when nothing is actually
wanted the clerk is not nccllcssly kept busy.
In many stores, like dry goods, millinery and
fancy goods establishments probably nine
tcnths of the people who enter don't know
| just what they want, and tho clerk has to
help them decide, nnd probably half of those
who poster tho clerks don't want to buy at
all. Still they cause as much troublf and
work and consume us much time as cwstoln-
crs who buy freely and thus help statesmen tn
make good record for efficiency. have
known people To so ntoa furniture store or
Il carpet house and kill time simply from the
desire TO see pretty things they can't and
don't mean To purchase.
Then, again. in some kinds of stores there
is less chance for trouble and annoyance tc
clerks from peoples bringing back goods
soilcd or otherwise damaged and asserting
that they We're so when delivered Few pco.
pie, perhaps, realize tho amount of confusion
and trouble to us resulting from these prac
ticcs of imposition on the part of the curious
or INSCRIPTIONS, and should advise those
intending to take up ccrLins ass business
to shm the stores of pretty things and nice
surroundings and choose tho stores whcrc
ncccssarcs of lifo are sold and people wlic
come III mean business.
Glass of patronage, too, makes all the diff
| ference i'll tho world with us Tho NOR,
transient the custom the more trouble We OK
pciicncc. There arc many stores which Ger
tain families always latronizr. The clerk
soon become acquainted with them, know
their whims or tastes, and how to please them
Then the worst part of our experience i
over The same old course of feeling one
way, of catering to foblcs, of making mis-
takes and the like, has to be gono through
with almost every purchaser at Il storo Whose
trade is largely transient. Chicago News.