Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-03
RUNNING A BIO STOKE.
A Vast Retail Establishment and How Il ID
Managed.

A Vast Retail Establishment and How Il u
Managed.
iHE RECENT ADDITION TO WOODWARD AND 10
IHkoP s-HALF AN ACRE ON A FLooR-THE DE-
PAYMENTS INTO WHICH THE BUSINESS Is d.
NipEp-How THINGS ARE KEPT MOVING.
Twenty dollars goes into the cash drawer
every minuter' Whether the financial esti-
mate was correct or not did not make much
difference; it was q small boys way of express
ing his idea Of big thing. The youngster
stood with a number of companions watching
the stream Of people flowing through the 18th
and street entrance Of Woodward Il Lo-
throp's store. Woodward 4 Lothrop's is a big
thing and il is quite as interesting on
account Of its vastness as it Is attractive to
shoppers on account Of the great extent
and variety of the good displayed. When the
handsome fve-story building at the corner of
llth and + streets was erected it was considered
huge dry goods store-large enough to ac-
commodate all the business that one retail firm
wonld be likely to do. The firm soon had to
add to their space by leasing adjoining build
ings. and recently have completed an extension
OF their building fully large as the original,
pushing through the square to 10th street.
Inc building at the corner of 18th and L and
the new IL or wing fronting on 10th
street are connected 40 to form practically
one building. each floor affording u space Of
half an acre for the display of goods. During
the two evenings past the entire establishment
has been brilliantly illuminated for gas
nght opening. as the announcements stated.
though electric light had much to 10
with II gaslight. From to 10 o'clock
the opening was held. 1t was, in
fact, reception or housewarming on
large scale. The clerks were there, ready to
show goods and give information, but not to
SELL The visitors were the guests Of the house
Tor these evenings and the relations of host
and guests were not marred by any business
transactions. So hundreds of people wandered
from one vast and handsome salesroom to an
other, and assembled from floor to floor. de-
lighted by thousands of objects tastefully dis
played and bewildered by the extent of ii all.
1t Is quite a novelty, this wandering about a
great retail establishment inspecting all kinds
buy-in fact that you are not permitted to buy,
but that all you are asked To do Is to look and
examine to your hearts content.
WHEN BUSINESS RULES.
Still an observer might be more interested by
a visit to the establishment during hours when
business ruled and he could get glimpse of
the working of big retail house. System pre-
walls everywhere. The throngs of customers
are ushered at Cnce to the departments they
wish TO visit. their orders are quickly executed,
and all of the scores of patrons are attended to
a.
place with comparatively few customers. For
here there is a salesman saleswoman to show
goods and take the order. The goods rur-
chased then go 20 an expert bundle wrapper
near at hand. while a brief account of the trans
action and the money rendered are dispatched
with lightning speed. in an automatic cash
carrier. 20 the cashier. The change, if there
be any. and the bundle. neatly wrapped. come
back i'll quicker time than il took a clerk in the
Old-fashioned way to go TO cash drawer,
out the change. There are dozen or more
cashiers ensconced in two long galleries above
the heads of the people, and the long gittering
lines of the miniature aerial railways over
which the cash carriers dart to and fro concen-
tratc at these galleries. Nimbe fingers are
kept busy in these galleries all day Icing making
change and filing the little diamOnd-shaped
coupons that each carrier brings a note of
the transaction it represents. At the close of
each day coupons and cash have to balance.
MANAGING TIE ESTABLISHMENT.
On the second floor OF the 18th street build
ing adjoining the large sales room are the
offices. There is long narrow room with
long high counter or desk running down the
center where force of bookkeepers are at
work. Beyond this are several coy apart
ments where the members of the firm and their
assistants in the administrative department
have desks. for the management of so large a
business. the keeping account of the many de-
partments of the house. the ordering OF goods
and other details require as much work and
method as the running of bureau of the gov
eminent. When 1t is considered that the stock
Embraces an infinite variety Of goods, ranging
from button to a gobelin tapestry worth a
couple Of thousand dollars. some idea can be
had OF the wide range of information that must
be possessed by the heads OF the house and
their administrative staff.
As stated the recently constructed addition
to he h,1il hay ma 1s nd
immense show windows On lGth street. increases
the space ON each floor TO half an acre. The
building is tastefully finished all through its
five stories with hard wood and is abundantly
lighted. A light well in the center extends
from the ground floor to the roof.
KEEPING THINGS MOVING.
In the basement below the building are boil
ers for heating and for supplying power. There
is power enough to run big factory. There
are four return tubular boilers. two of ninety
horse power and two OF sixty horse power
which heat the building. run the elevators and
the engines for electric lighting. There is one
100 horse powe- Prick Corliss engine. Il thirty
horse power high-speeG engine and one ten
horse power slide valve engine. The Mather
system of lighting Is used and two GO light and
one $50 light dynamos are used, equaling $500
candle power. There are four large Otis pas
senger elevators in the building and one
freight elevator, the power for running which
is derived from two Worthington pumps of suf-
ficient capacity. The Martin cash carrier
system is used. There are 200 sta
lions. and the power for running this
is derived from a small engine. SO one can sec
that the mere task of literally keeping things
moving in such ar establishment is no small
one. In the basement, too. and in adjoin-
ing building leased for the purpose are store
rooms. where goods are received and opened.
The many sales rooms in the large building
are so capacious that each one would be con-
sidered as a big store if it stood alone. The
business of the Establishment is systematiZed
ard distributed through many departments.
A summary of these departments will give
some idea Of the extent and range Of the
business.
THE DEPARTMENTS.
On the first floor are the following: Notion
department: Comprising buttons, needless
spool silk. spool cotton, pins. hairpins, shoe
horns, tape, sleeve holders. corset laces, &C.
Dress trimming department: Brads. passe men
terie, &c. Druggists sundries department:
Sponges. perfumeries, tooth brushes. soaps
derby silver ware. &c. Stationery depar tment:
Writing paper. envelopes, visiting cards, &C.
Fans and leather goods department: Fans. card
cases. pocket books. chatelaine bags, de-
Jewclry department: Gold and silver jewelry,
watches. &c. Cutlery department: Staples and
novelties in cutlery, manicure goods, &c.
Handkerchief department: Ladies', mems and
children's handkerchiefs in linen, silk
department Ladies', misses and children's
gloves in silk. kid, worsted, &c. Umbrella de-
partment: Ladies men S and children's, in silk,
gloria cloth. heivetia cloth. &c. Silver ware
department.: Cake baskets fruit stands, iewelry
baskets, &c. MEMS furnishing department.: