The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-06-13
THE SHOP-clRL TALKS,
Her Feet Pain Her and She Feels That She'l
Terribly Ill-Used.


Her Feet Pain Her and She Feels That she's
Terribly Ill-Used.
"Ah-h! feel as if my feet had gone
to Heavenw said the sales-girl, as she
exhibited No. foot in No slipper.
II get solid comfort out of these old
slippers when | come home in the even
ing with my feet hurting so l can hard
~ stand. Shoes too tight? Not bit
of it! My shoes are always too large
for me, but standing all day swells my
feet and makes them painful.
1.-The first day went into the store l
thought I'd die before six o'clock, but
one can get used to any thing except be-
ing scolded-that never can get used
to, no matter how long may stay in
the store. Why am l so naughty as to
need scolding? 1t amt me that's
naughty, it's the customers l do get
so mad sometimes that l could Jump
over the counter and beat 'em! They
amt got no notion of buying when they
come in, but all the same. they want to
see this that and the other thing, and
SO they make me take down box after
box, and then they stand there, worry
ing the life out of me, asking no end of
questions, and crowding out other folks
who might buy if they could only get
chance; and when all's said and done,
they walk away without my making a
sale, and then / get a scolding from one
of the bosses. Which one? Well, most
always it's our buyer. spoke back to
him the other day! Says I: 1T takes a
smarter girl than me to make folks buy
when they amt got no money to
buy with Why. bless your heart!
Sometimes women, wearing hats
and wraps that I'd be ashamed
to be seen in, will come to my
counter and make me show 'em my
highest priced lace. They amt the
only kind, though, that only come to
look. There's them in sealskin sacks
and $50 bonnets who will spend hours
in store, and go out without buying a
penny's worth. Them's the sort that
make me nervous when they come
around. because l get my awfullest
seedlings on their account s'pose it's
fun for them to come and see what
we've got, and then go on to see what
they've got in other stores, but it amt
no fun for the girls who are expected to
make sales.
Are we expected to lie profession
ally? What do you'mean by that? Oh,
to get off goods on customers Well,
some of the youar Ia lies will do it be-
cause it's in 'em and they can't help it,
but lies amt paid extra, as in some
stores where girl gets commission on
her sales of out-of-style wraps and
things. Employers Christian men? I
don't know as our bosses are extra
Christian, but l heard one of 'em saw
once that lying wasn't business-like.
You see our store has a reputation to
keep up. Talk about salesladies saying
what amt so. you ought to hear the
customers! When 1 was in the cloak
department last year / was every day
sending off goods c. o. d. that did nothing
but come back to me again. The ladies,
when they said they'd take them, had
no more idea of paying for them than 1
Aad.
las for sass let people say what they
will, Pm sure there's them that come to
buy that's sassier than any of them that
sell My, how sick and tired / used to
get of trying sack after sack on a Gus
toner, and when I'd tell her it was a
perfect flt having her ask me if called
wrinkles fir OF course sack will be
full of wrinkles when a woman is twist
ing around in front of the mirror trying
to see her own back. On my sacred
word of honor, I've tried thirty sacks on
one customer, and then. after taking up
my time for two hours or more, and
maybe preventing my getting my lunch
till $3.50 in the afternoon, she'd 60 away
,aying that probably she'd come in again
the next day, and then she hoped she
would have more obliging young wom-
an to wait on her. Just the other day
! was STOPPING down behind the counter,
putting away some lace, when, the first
thing l knew. somebody poked me in
the back with great umbrella, and
when l looked up the customer that
lone it began business by threatening
10 report me for inattentiOn.
81 tell you, with all the work l have
to do. and all have to put up with, no
body ought to grudge me my ten dollars
Aweek. A fair salary, you say? Yes,
Spose it is know it Is twice as large
rs what some girls get in common stores,
but then in common stores they employ
common girls IN. Y. Tribune.