The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-26

services, like those of the spotter on the
horse cars, would cease to have any
value for her employer.
The pick up or swap woman" owes
her livelihood to another trick of the
dry goods trade. When the ordinary
saleswoman has failed to sell an article
to person, that person Is not as a rule
allowed to leave the shop and go else
where to purchase; the swap woman
comes at signal and tries her powers
of persuasion upon the obstinate Gus
toner. The swap woman is authorized
to drop little upon the original price,
and so sometimes effects sale even
after the shop girl has failed. But if
not, she relieves the girl of the censure
she would otherwise receive from let
ting woman slip through her fingers
without buying. The swap woman is
not generally employed in frst-class
! firms.
Women are now employed in every
department of the dry-goods business,
one firm after another admitting them
to the different positions hitherto filed
| by men. A well-known firm in Grand
street, New York, was the first to
! utilize women as floor walkers and gen
eral superintendent. Another-a no
ton store in Fourteenth street-intro-
duced the ''cash girl" into the mys-
teries of mercantile life. Lastly, woman
was given a seat at the cashiers desk.
The hardness in trusting her with
handling of money was owing to the
fear that she would not be as quick and
accurate in her accounts as man, but
she has proved herself as efficient in
this position as in others
From So to $40 week is the average
pay of LADY cashiers" except in special
cases, notably that of Miss Stort,
cashier and financial manager of a
large house on Sixth avenue. Miss
Stort receives $1,000 a year for her
services.
specialists" in any line command
high salaries, but they must be experts
in their field-laces, furs, flowers, silks
or whatever it may be.
In the working machinery of a great
dry goods store the little business wom-
en- play no inconsiderable part and ac-
their elders For instance, the cash
girls: They are paid from s1.50 to 81. SO
week. They are required to deposit a
certain small sum weekly for their bask-
cts and badges. This is called badge
money!" and is returned to them upon
promotion or when they leave. The
cash girl generally evolutes into the
"saleslady," and SO may be said to learn
the business from the ground up. Among
the little women are the ''stock girls
and ''care takers" The stock under a
woman's charge is kept in the upper
floors of the building.
The cash girls are sent up for re-
ouired articles. The cash gives a
check for anything delivered to her
from the stock room Nothing sent
from the stock room is returned to it
Stock girls are paid from 50 to Sc a
week.
The majority of saleswomeu take
care of their money and save all they
can for probable future Of inactivity.
They have founded several associations
among themselves for the care of the
sick and those out of work. Some
business women marry and try to bet
ter themselves by marriage. Some Gle
some drift into other ways of livelihood,
the dressmakers and milliners, especial
ly, being prone 20 set up in business for
themselves.
We have ''homes" for the destitute
and aged of both sexes, institutions
for all sorts and conditions of men and
women. shelters" for dogs, nurseries
for cats. and seats" for salesladies
when they are young and able to
stand, but when they are old, infrm
and poor there is no place especially
provided for them either by private
contribution or public charity.
CELIA LoSAH.