Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-10-31
800.
PARIS DEPARTMENT STORES.
System by Which the Employees Are Or.
ganizcd, Lodged and Fed.

System by Which the Employees Are Or.
ganizcd, Lodged and Fed.
The great department stores in
Paris, such as the Bon Marche, tho
Louvre and the Printemps, carry
the organization of their employees
to a point not dreamed of here and
have in operation extensive and
costly plans for stimulating the in.
terest and energy Of the help in the
business to the highest degree. The
new employee receives at the start
salary of 400 francs, or about $50
q year, besides being lodged ard fed.
and in addition commission of from
2 to 5 per cent upon his sales, so
that the lowest salesman rarely
makes less than SlG0 u year. A head
of department. OR buyer, us he is
known here, pny easily make from
81, 600 to So, CO. year, and some OF
them exceed s., GOO. While these fig
ures arc low compared with the $780,
600 and SO, COO salaries paid i'll New
York, they seem high when meas
ured by tho scale of salaries that
prevails in France. Thus the best
paid among the higher employees
receive larger salaries than tho pres
idents of sections in the council OF
state and generals Of division. The
average pay of an experienced sales
man is alout 4,GOO francs, or $500, a
year.
The total number of employees at
the Bon Marche and tho Louvre is
about 3, eco cith, among whom are
only about 400 wcmen. In the Bon
Marche and the Louvre lodging in
the buildings provided by the estah-
lishment is optional for employees
of both sexes less than q years old.
In the Printemps it is obligatory.
The Louvre has on the Avenue Rapp
q great building accommodating ESQ
male employees, and not far from it
another where 100 young girls are
lodged. The Bon Maj cle furnishes
similar accommodations. All these
establishments arc conducted under
peculiarly stringent rules The girls
have u parlor where entertainments
are organized Gu Sundays and GER
tain evenings OF tho week, but from
which the other sex is excluded ut
terly. Not even father or BROTH
er may be received there.
All the employees receive their
meals in the stores, except the high
est, and these i.re permitted to eat
outside and receive an allowance of
800 francs year in the way of COM
mutation of rations. Furthermore,
married employees arc allowed to
dine at homo and receive cOmmu-
tation of franc day. The average
cost of food is from 81 to 40 cents a
day for each employee. The fare
consists at tho Louvre of ono help
ing of meat, all tie vegetables and
bread that can Do eaten, dessert and
pint of clalet. For dinner soup is
added At tho Bon Marche the EN-.
ployoes may ask for two helpings OF
meat. Tho average daily quantity OF
food consumed in one of these es.
Establishments includes $500 quarts
of soup, 5000 pounds of bread, 2, SOC
pounds of meat, 200 pounds of fish,
500 pounds of butter and 10 barrels
of wine. At the Louvre the kitchen
force includes Is cooks and so wait
ers The cost of the food exceeds
1900, 600 francs year.
The great stores have medical
service for tLeir employees, which
the country CT at the senshore. IN
addition, when man or Il woman
completes seven years of service al
the Louvre, u sum Of 1000 francs is
credited to him in the pension fund,
and afterward 200 francs u year w
to his tiftieth year Ut service. The
savings fund of the Bon Marche
amounts now to 100000 francs,
and 200, COO francs is added annually,
and in addition tLlrC is u reIsiOn
fund fouIttd W Me. Bouoicault,
who built up t..1a III. -.u..so Luslness,
which now AZ. ,I:S to GOO, OOC
francs. New York s,un.