Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-10-21
BEHIND A COUNTER.
A SALESWOMAN'S LIFE IN A
GREAT DRY GOODS STORE.
The Strain of Standing Many Hours
Brings On Diseases-An Ella
borate System of Fin
ing Wages Paid.
ISIS SMITH is 4 salesunma

~ shop Smith isn't her name
of course, and it wouldn't do
to be more explicit about her place of en-
ployment. To do so would probably re-
suit in sending her to look up new job,
and finding it would be very difficult
matter if it were learned that she had
been dismissed fol telling tales out OF
school. Dry goods firms believe in stand
ing by one another in that way always.
Miss Smith has been employed for seven
or eight years in various large houses in
this city and knows whereof she speaks.
She says the conditions have improved
wonderfully since a number Of the
wealthy customers OF the stores have
taken an interest in the girls aud formed
themselves into the Consumers League.
"Still, there is plenty of room for i'm
provement," she asserts. "The work Of
a saleswoman in itself is not so hard,
but When you stand from 8 in the
morning until 2 in the afternoon, and
from 23O until s, you're pretty sure to
feel the strain physically in a very short
time. As a matter Of fact, most of the
girls who have been saleswomen more
than two years are suffering from some
chronic disease brought on by constant
standing. Do you know that a girl en-
ployed for any length of time as sales.
woman would have no show at all for
admission to the New York City Tram
ing School for Nurses2 The Superin-
tendent would consider the fact of her
having had to stand constantly for years
as pretty good evidence of her inferior
physical condition.
"The fning system is one Of the definite
grievances Of the saleswoman. Where l
am employed the fines are principally for
tardiness. If you are five minutes late,
you are fined fifty cents. In fact, that's
the smallest fine we have. There are
twenty-five girls in my department, aud
l have known eight Of them to be fined
in one week from fifty cents to 81. l
am pretty sure from what I've heard
about me that a quarter of all the en-
ployes in the establishment are fined fifty
cents 4 week. There are about 1000
people employed, and that would mean
a saving of about $500 a week on the
wages account. A percentage of this
amount, it should be SAID, is given to
fund for the assistance OF the sick en-
ployes.
"There are fines for other things than
being late, and of course we would not
think it unjust that we were fined If we
were really late. But, as a matter of
fact, we are frequently fined when we've
been q quarter Of an hour in advance of
opening time in the store. The en-
ployes come in at a special entrance,
pass through long, narrow passage
lined with box-like closets. Two puny
little girls are in attendance behind a
counter. They are hardly able to carry
tic heavy coats aud rubbers and wraps
the girls wear in winter. They must
take each girls wraps, put them IN her
special closet and give her a check for
them. These children not being strong
and active, it is not to be expected they
will be anything but slow. Besides they
have too many to attend to. Frequently
you may arrive at the shop at twenty
minutes before and not be able to get
rid of your wraps before s o'clock. You
may have your cloak of, your apron on,
and your check book in hand when you
give your number at the time.
keepers desk. No excuse whatever can
be accepted. There may be sickness in
your home. That doesn't matter. II
you're late five minutes you're dockcd
fifty cents out Of your pay the following
Saturday.
"Then if customer gives you the
wrong address, and the man takes the
parcel there, only to ind no such per-
son, you are fined at the discretion of
the timekeeper, whether the fault was
yours or not. If you break anything,
no matter how accidentally It's done,
you must pay for it. Take the china
and bric-a.brac department. No matter
how careful you are you're almost sure
to knock something down. If it's broken
you pay for it, sometimes the retail price.
Sometimes the head of stock says, 1T
cost us so much; you may have it at cost
price. I've never heard of any one be-
ing fined for sitting down. 1t isu't per-
mitted, though. In fact there's nothing
to sit on. The space behind the coun-
ters is so very narrow there's no room
for seats. II one girl were to sit down
another would be unable to pass her.
"Do the fines make a hole in our
wagesl Well, | should say they did.
In our place the saleswomen's wages
range from S4 to s. or SO week.
There are few men, aud they get S12,
though they sell no more than the girls.
A aoor walker gets from $40 to $40.
Lately, however, wages have a tendency
10 60 still further down, not only in this
store, but in other stores as we'll. They
ire employing women as floor walkers
and giving them less wages than men in
he same position. Girls who have been