Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-10
THE PARIS DEPARTMENT STORES.

System by Which the Employees Are
Organized, Lodged and Fed.
From the New York Sun.
The great department stores in Paris.
such as the Bon Marche, the Louvre and
the Printemps, carry the organization of
their employees to point not dreamed Of
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 a commission Of
from to per cent upon his sales. so that
the lowest salesman rarely makes less than
$50 a year. A head of department., or buy
er, as he is known here. may easily make
from s., 500 to s. 600 year, and some of
them exceed 5000: While these figures are
lew compared with the $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 N
the cornell OF state and generals Of d.
vision. The average pay of an experienced
salesman is about 1000 francs. or $500
year.
The total number of employees at the Bon
Marche and the Louvre Is about 1900 each,
among whom are only about 400 women. In
the Bon Marche and the Louvre lodging In
ment is optional for employees of both Sex
es less than twenty-one years old; in the
Printemps it is obligatory. The Louvre has
on the Avenue Rapp a great building ac-
commodating go male employees, and not
far from it another where 100 young girls
are lodged. The Bon Marche furnishes SIM
liar accommodations. All these establish
ments are conducted under peculiarly strin-
gent rules. The girls have parlor where
entertainments are organized on Sundays
and certain evenings OF the week. but from
which the other sex Is excluded utterly.
Not even father or brother may be re-
ceived there.
All the employees receive their meals in
| the stores, except the highest, and these
are permitted to eat outside, and receive an
| allowance Of 800 francs year in the way
of Communication Of rations. Furthermore.
married employees are allowed to dine at
home, and receive Communication OF franc
| day. The average cost of food Is from
| 80 to 10 cents day for each employee. The
| fare consists at the Louvre, Of one helping
| of meat, all the vegetables and bread that
can be eaten, dessert and a pint Of claret.
| For dinner soup Is added. At the Bon
| Marche the employees may ask for two
/ helpings of meat. The average daily guam
| tity of food consumed in one Of these es-
| Establishments includes 900 quarts of soup.
| 5000 pounds Of bread, $500 pounds of meat,
| loo pounds of fish, 500 pounds of butter
and ten barrels of wine. At the Louvre the
| kitchen force includes fifteen cooks and
| eighty walters The cost Of the food eX-
| ceeds 2,OOO,OOO francs a year.
The great stores have a medical service
for their employees, which includes an in
| Urinary and outings in the country or al
| the seashore. In addition, when a man or
woman completes seven years Of service al
the Louvre. a sum of 1000 francs Is credited
to him in the pension fund, and afterwart
200 francs a year up to his fiftieth year Of
service. The savings fund of the Boz
Marche amounts Tow to 2,0OO,OOO francs
and 100000 francs Is added annually ant
In addition there Is pension fund founded
by Nine Boucicault, who built up this i'm
mense business, which now amounts t,
| 100000 francs