Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-08-06

were almost bare of customers, she was
evidently snatching this moment stealth
lily.
just as I sat down at the counter
big fioorwalker appeared in sight One
of the other girls murmured:
Gibbs is coming" and my little
English friend, thrusting her letter un-
der heap of unrolled lace gave me
her attention.
'We don't often get a chance to sit
down or write or even think, - she an
swered when / spoke to her about her
life. "Our best times are on rainy days
like this, when the fioorwalker is gen
orally up in the stockroom with the
buyer or in generous mood from lei
sure and not apt to notice every little
thing But that Gibbs is new, and he's
horridp'
Before left we had chatted SO much
and learned 50 many things about
saleswoman : life. She read me portion
Of the letter she was writing home:
81 have heard somewhere, dear moth
er, that there are seven heavens, and in
the seventh everything is on a better
scale-the angels are more lovely, the
harps are prettier, there are finer man
sions than i'll any Of the other heavens.
Well, you may be sure then that if there
is any justice beyond the grave, the
saleswoman who tries to do her duty is
sure of that glorious seventh and no
otherr'
This may be taken as the text of
what | have to say on the subject No
employment demands SO much Of wom-
en- and gives such small returns
In the first place saleswoman must
have at least common school educa-
tion, she must write a good, legible
hand, and understand arithmetic beyond
fractions. Her appearance is Of great
importance. The younger she is and the
prettier she is the better, and a chic way
Of wearing her cheap clothes which
must be fashi0nably made, is an almost
imperative necessity.
Her hours are long, from to
o'clock, with half an hour for lunch in
the middle Of the day, but instead Of
ten hours they may be regarded as 20
from the terrible fatigue which is
crowded into their dreary length, the
result of having 10 stand almost in one
spot the entire time.
Any woman who has eHdeavOred to
stand for three hours to see some famous
play or listen to a great sermon and
knows what exhaustion follows can
form vague idea Of the strain which
perpetual standing has upon the felni-
nine organism. Incurable maladies are
common from this, weakened spines,
infiamed veins
In fact, the saleswoman who does not
marry early j. insuring for her old age
terrible and complete network Of NAL
aides, sad to speculate upon.
When she arrives at her post at s
| o'clock, she arranges her stock, lifting
down heavy boxes, busting and putting
prices on the various articles. BY Gus
toners begin to arrive, and in another
hour the aisles Of every popular shop are
I filed with alert women, rustEng here
and there in silk lined skirts, pricing,
matching samples, not knowing Just
what they want, asking ten questions
when one would do, in a hurry to catch
\ trains, impatient, nervous and utterly
\ selfishly thoughtless. Of course here, as
everywhere, exceptions to these descrip-
tions will be found, but they count for
little in the great throng which forms
the soul narrowing rule governing the
saleswOman s business life.
By the time afternoon comes she is
\ feverish, her feet burning, her legs ach-
ing, her brain dazed BY the rush besieg-
ing her on every side. She has to keep
a suave self control notv outstanding or
risk being reported to a fioOrwalker
/ She has to answer all the questions
pouring in upon her, and yet wait only
upon one at time, i'll order to avoid
mistakes in packages and change.
1t would seem as if women who shop
might be more considcrate Of the sister
women who stand behind the counter
and never enter a shop after :30 except
when imperative necessity urges This
half hour will not be spent i'll idling by
\ the leswomen-instead it will give
them an opportunity to- roll and fold the
materials heaped and twisted Oh the
counters after the days battle and con-
| fusion, for 10 salcswoman can consider
her work done until the goods which
are her especial care are neatly placed
in the boxes or shelves where they be-
4 long.
Yet not only at $50 are the crowds
still entering, but at ten minutes befure
closing, and frequently then woman
endeavors by rushing from counter to
counter, leaving parcels to be collected
later, to condense into those few moments
purchasing which should take hours
The very fact that a saleswoman must
have fair education helps in one sense
to make her unhappy. Education is just
SO much light into the soul Placed as
she is to serve those who are rich or
better off than herself and measure out
dainty trities. appreciated by her wom-
anly taste for finery, she has constantly
to combat her useless desires for luxury
beyond her.
/ found that saleswomen's salaries
average S. per week. as many get as
much as $12 and a great number of the
youngest girls at the least important
counters as low as 81. Out Of this they
must save enough to live on when vaca-
tion time comes. for, like most workers
under the capitalist system, the sales
woman is given an enforced rest Of two
or three weeks during the summer-at
her own expense. In many sad cases