The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-20
ITEMS IN A BIG STORE.
Expenses that Escape the Ken OF
Average Customers.
FIGURING PROFITS OUT OF SALES
Each Article Sold should share the
General Expense, which Includes
Large Number of Details.

skein OF silk or bit OF hat elastic. sh,
is not liable TO speculate upon the amour
OF responsibility and worry that rests upol
the man In charge OF store. What is WISH
bic to the public eye is not half what |,
necessary TO keep the great machinery ii
working order. One is prone TO admire the
decoration OF the window and the artistic
draping OF dress goods and such apparent
labors, but the only idea that is Away.
patent is. Now the stores are colnins
money
Perhaps they are, but by no means does
all OF this money remain In the Golfers. II
is not mere question of selling
cloth at dollar yard that costs 10 cents
what advance each storekeeper makes on
the road to millionairehood is due rather
to skillful management Of details than to
raising OF the selling price. In reality the
| immense profit that one thinks OF is 4
chimea that lures many on TO financial
| destruction.
From the time the goods are sent from
the factory they are a constant source Ut
| expense. In addition to the freight and ex-
press charges carriage must be paid to the
store. and when there room rent as 1t were,
being accountable for its quota of light,
heat, electricity. and attendance Even
when the material. whatever il is, has been
sold the expense does not cease, There
are the checks. label wrapping paper ana
twine. The package must be delivered; the
expense OF keeping the horse and repairing
the wagon must be reduced from the profit
from each separate sale.
The horse item, by the way, Is no incon
siderable one. The Boston house has its
own stable and corps OF stabiemen, but
the other stores seem TO find it less ex-
pensive to board their horses out or TO
make a contract for delivery with some
company. The veterinary fee is large one
after long career in business. woodward
n Lothrop frequently find it necessary to
send their horses out to recupera.e upon
a stock farm and hospital in the neighbor-
hood Of Washington
Aside from this branch the profit from
each article sold must pay Its share of the
general expenses of the store. In the
larger houses there are usually fifty de-
partments. over each OF these depart
inents is head. who Is also tho buyer
Inc number Of clerks and wrappers is
larger than casual glance would lead one
10 imagine. Indeed without disclosing one
OF me vital secrets of the stores, the num-
Der and the expense Of employees could not
pc toln. Except In the Paiais Royal, where
the offices are elegantly arranged On the
third floor front the auditing. bookkosninr
cash, superintendent and other denart
uehta are not visible to customers The
engineers and firemeu. the porters and
drivers, the decorators tho footmen and
boys at the doors, the clerks in charge of
the cloak rooms and the many uupply and
reserve stock
employees. vi
AS one can easily believe, much system
Is heeued TO Keep so large corps in or
der The managers attempt to secure cniy
aEIceaoie and refined clerks. out appli-
cants are constantly being made by all
classes. At ono time the Boston house was
so rnshed by such applications. that il was
,ouHn necessary TO post placard announc-
ing mat no more could be received. Now.
however, applications are again being heard
ny MI Jacobs from to 10, during which
nouIs ne listens to tales and enough to
NOV. NOV, ms accustomed heart. AS he has three
thousand applicants already, one can i'm
aglne his state of mind
AZ Lahsbursh's MIR, Cans has nut into
practice pet plan and found II 10 he very
successful Every Friday evening he boIds
c,aSs Tor the heads OF departments, in
MnIch Ne instructs them in matters per
tanning to their business Without men
tioning names he calls TO their attention
my oelects that may have been observed
uur'hg the week. and gives public praise
10 any clerk whom a customer may have
recommended. on Thursday evening
somewhat similar plan is pursued in regard
10 the wrappers. several expert wrappers
peins detailed to instruct those unskilleC
or dehcient In the little noticed art of
wrapping u package. All this takes time
ana forethought that counts for so much
IN the end and yet appears to be so trivial
AL the Boston house new clerks are sta
tioned beside more experienced ones until
the former become competent At all o
the stores the time OF the clerks arriva.
ana departure is kept. A rather interest
ing machine is used for this at the Palais
Royal each clerk is given a small leaden
tag. which is slipped through a slot. The
machine registers the number on the tas
and the time. and these are recorded in
book by a clerk
Through the courtesy OF Mr.. Blout OF tn,
Palais Royal the writer was given a view
OF another side Of store life. Only half of
the fourth floor is open to the public; the
rest is the private and unthoueht OF rooms
OF the store. The most interesting OF thes,
is probably the long room where the en-
ployes have their noon meal, Ono end Is
lined with labeled drawers where the clerlts
keep their lunches. About noon time they
gather in this apartment and beside The
long tables, covered with white linen, spend
a merry time together. Cut off as they arc
from the rest OF the building. nothing pre-
vents their indulging In mirth and lauSh-
ter during their recess. In n small room
adjoining a pleasant maiden makes then
steaming coffee that with sugar and cream
costs them only > cents cup. Considera-
tion can so tighten hard life.
At one end Of the hall from this lunch
Il
like most OF the other stores the Palaiss
Royal has all the work Of this branch
done In the light, airy top floor When the
goods are unpacked, the buyers are called
mp to see II the receipts tally with the or
ders; then the goods are marked and
placed Across from the tiny kitchen Is a
room that though filled with quite differ.
ent matter, ia reminiscent of the book de-
partment Of the capitol library. Here on
rows and rows of shelves extending to the
ceiling. are stacked packages of reserve
stock" The books, and there is an immense