The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-16
BUYERS WITH BIG SALARIES.
Trust Placed In Heads Of Departments In
the Big Stores.

The buyer in one OF the departments OF
a big Sixth avenue dry goods store gave
up his place not long ago. and transfer
red himself to another big store in
Twenty-third street, says The Sun. 1t was
said that he made the change because he
saw opportunities of increasing his in
come by doing so, yet rumor had 1t that
he received salary OF s16, 900 year In
the Sixth avenue establishment, in addi-
tion TO percentage of the profits of the
the time he was said TO be worth s260, 600,
all of which he had accumulated as sal
aried employe in dry goods stores.
His case may surprise people who judge
of the money making possibilities OF all
employees in department stores by the low
earnings of most statesmen and saleswo-
men. 1t Is true that his case Is anNexcep-
tional one. He is rather noted In the
trade for his knowledge of the materials
dealt in by his department, and for his
instructive and correct judgment OF the
directions which fashions of the moment
may be taking. Ability 10 gauge the fu-
ture of styles Is about as valuable and
rare quality as ability TO forsee the fiuc-
tuations OF the stock market. Besides his
special knowledge and foresight, he has
good business capacity, so that altogeth her
he ia an exceptionally able man, and
would have succeeded in any line. Never
theless his case is not phenomenal for the
amount of money he makes Some time
ago. when a dry goods firm wanted TO
make a special effort TO increase its busi-
ness, it cast about in the other stores for
the men best suited for its purposes. The
men it fixed upon received offers of 5000,
sl0, coo and $4,000 year to tempt them to
accept places.
These amounts are all above the average
- Al n. - 30 L.. In,
cipal dry goods stores; but the best
tastes, judgment aud business capacity
cannot be purchased for much less, and
big firm would not be apt TO hesitate
about the salary if 1t found q man that
suited ii. The operations OF great de-
partment store are so varied and compli-
Gated, and the details of the business are
SO innumerable, that no set of partners
could begin to attend to them ALL SO
subordinates are endowed with full con-
troll of their respective departments, and
are held to strict responsibility and ac-
countability. The latitude allowed them
differs with various firms. In one old
established house the head of the firm re-
quires statement to be presented to him
every morning, showing the purchases,
the sales apd the stock on hand in each
department. Should the sales fall greatly
below the purchases in any department.
he makes an investigation and consults
with the buyer as 10 how business may
be stimulated, iDstructing him in the
meantime to curtail his purchases OF
stock. The tendency in the bigger, new
er, and more successful houses is TO allow
the buyer to have absolute control, and
to manage the business as If IL were his
own. A certain amount of capital Is put
at his disposal; he is charged with in
terest upon IL, and with his share OF the
rental, expenses, and cost OF help. and at
A l. ka fa frad 20 al
profit OF certain amount upon the
operat ions of the department. He buys
his goods, sdvertises them, offer bar
gains, and invents his own devices Tor
attracting people, and is under only the
most general supervision OF the brm.
Naturally men in whom confidence TO
such degree may be placed are rare. and
command high salary.
such man would have an assistant
buyer, or maybe several buyers, under
his orders. Before the day of big depart
ment stores such buyers would have been
merchants in business for themselves.
Several big stores in this city have been
established by men who learned the dry
goods business as buyers and incidentally
gained the confidence of wholesale mer-
chants who furnished the credit and cap
ital that enabled them to begin business.
Drummess who deal with them say that
the increasing power and responsibilities;
of buyers have tended 10 make them
naughty. In most houses the buyers
protect themselves against drummers by
codes or rules which the drummers cont
like and which the office boys take pleas
ure in enforcing vigorously. Thus one
house forbids the admittance of drummers
into the sample room before p. m. One
drummer complains that he arrived at
one minute to 8 and was ignominiousfy
kept out by an office 10y. In another
house buyer ha made quite reputa.
tion for himself by the cordial manner
with which he rushes, with ouistretched
hand and wide smile, TO meet the drum
mer, while at the same time he bawls
Nothing in your liue today, sir"
The drummers 60 not object to the cor
diality in Itself, but they think the buyer
should make it plain that it is only cor
dlality. AT present, they say, it gives
the impression that the buyer is eager TO
buy, where as ii is on record that one
drummer was lured on by the smile and
handshake till he had made 10 calls in 10
successive months without effscting
SALE Most drummers get tired of the cor
diality before making such q record.