The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-08
DEPARTMENT STORES OF PARIS.
Systems by Which the Employees Are
Organized, Lodged and Fed.
From the Philadelphia Rec

From the Philadelphia Record.
The great department stores in Paris,
such as the Bon Marche the Louvre, anc
the Printemps carry the organization of
their employees to point not dreamed CT
here, and have in operation extensive and
costly plans for stimulating the interest
and energy of the help in the business to
the highest degree. The new employee re-
ceives at the start a salary of 400 francs,
or about $50 a year, besides being lodged
and fed, and in addition commission of
from 2 to per cent. upon his sales, 50
that the lowest salesman rarely makes
less than $3.50 a year. A head of depart
ment, or buyer, as he is known here, may
easily make from $3.50 to $1,000 a year
and some of them exceed $1,000. Whuc
these figures are low compared with tho
$4,000 and $4,000 salaries paid in New
York, they seem high when measured by
the scale of salaries that prevails in
France. Thus the best paid among the
higher employees receive larger salaries
than the presidents of sections in the
council of state and generals of divisions
The average pay of an experienced sales
man is about 1900 francs, or $500 a year.
The total number of employees a the
Bon Marche and the Louvre is about 3 ,e0O
each, among whom are only about 400
women. In the Bon Marche and the
Louvre lodging in the buildings provided
by the establishment is optional for en-
ployes of both sexes less than q years
old; in the Printemps it is obligatory. The
Louvre has on the Avenue Rapp a great
building accommodating 250 male employ
es, and not far from it another where 100
young girls are lodged. The Bon Marche
furnishes similar accommodations All
these establishments are conducted ur-
der peculiarly stringent rules The girls
have a parlor where entertainments are
organized on Sundays and certain even
1ngs OF the week, but from which the other
sex is excluded utterly. Not even a faith
er or brother may be received there.
All of the employees receive their meals
in the stores, except the highest, and
these are permitted to eat outside, and
receive an allowance of 500 francs a year
in the way of Communication of rations.
Furthermore, married employees are al
lowed to dine at home, and receive a
communication of franc a day. The aver
age cost of food is from 80 to 40 cents a
day for each employe. The fare consists,
at the Louvre, of one helping to meat.
all the vegetables and bread that can be
eaten, dessert and pint of claret For
dinner soup is added. At the Bon Marche
the employees may ask for two helpings
of meat. The average daily quantity of
food consumed in one of these establish
ments includes $500 quarts of soup, 5000
pounds of bread, 1850 pounds of meat,
1200 pounds of fish, 500 pounds of butter
and 10 barrels of wine. At the Louvre
the kitchen force includes Is cooks and
so walters. The cost of the food exceeds
100000 francs year.
The great stores have a medical SER
vice for their employees, which includes
an iufirmary and outings in the country
or at the seashore. In addition when a
man or a woman completes seven years
of service at the Louvre sum of 1000
francs is credited to him in the pension
fund, and afterwards 200 francs year
up to his iftieth year of service. The
saving fund of the Bon Marche amounts
now to 100000 francs, and 1000 francs is
added annually, and in addition there
is a pension fund founded by Nine Bou-
cicault who built up this immense bust
ness, which now amounts to 100000 francs.