Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-12-16
BEHIND COUNTER
ENGLISH sHoPwoMEN AND AMER
IcAN STORE LADIES.

One View of tho Difference Between
Saleswomen Here and Abroad-Amer-
lean and English Business Methods.
The Dificulty of Buying.
The English shopwoman is as pleasant
subject to contemplate after men mil
liners and barmaids as thoroughbred
after mule or as peasant from Pied
mont after Florentine tramp. She is
neatly dressed. She always greets you
with smile-not giggle or snicker,
but a genuine smile of welcome. Her
calm blue or blue gray eyes command
attention and forbid familiarity, and,
whether you meet her in London or
Liverpool, whether you are shopping in
Deptford or on the Strand, you will find
her essentially the same What differ
ence there may be between the shopgirl
Of the provinces and her London sister
is merely the difference between the
town sparrow and the country sparrow
with the glove on the other hand,
though in the matter of politeness the
saleswomen in Lewis of Manchester
and Liverpool are not the interiors of
Whiteley's of London. Of this you may
be oon6dent-if you go to a shop with
the intention of buying, you will make
purchase and be pleased with your
| bargain.
Such eulogy as this may appear to
need justification, which, however, is
not very far to seek. Environment and
association have just as much effect for
good when they are good as for evil
when they are bad, and the air of a we'll
conducted English diapers shop is far
from being uncongenial to a strong wo
man. 1t is not at all necessary that a
successful saleswoman shall have lost
any of the peculiarities that men ad-
mire in femininity She must, in fact,
have cultivated them to great extent
and have added to them an experiment
tai knowledge of human nature.
In the first place she is happy. 1t is
so interesting to most women to handle
fine laces and delicate fabrics She is
there in her element. The show
man instinct is strong in her. She feels
when the goods she displays are admired
that part of the admiration is her due
/ She takes it and is satisfied.
Nor is her employment monotonous.
There are so many new faces, so many
new personalities for her to practice
her wiles on; not many men perhaps,
but enough even of them to make her
travail piquant, to give her the change
that is as good as feast.
Then she has had to learn how to
make people like her. She is refined
with the refined, effervescent with the
/ gushing reserved with the reserved
and slightly patronizing with the
coarse. Withal she has delicate way
of making people feel their superiority
! to her. She tells you without saying it !:
ST am paid to be your servant, ma am.
/ like to be your servant. am your
servant. It is pleasure to me to oblige
you. So she takes her customer into
her confidence and becomes guide and
familiar friend. If it flatters you to pat
ronize her, she is pleased to be patron
lied, confident that fattered customer
will freely spend
In the whole establishment there is
no hurry or hustle. When you enter the
shop, you are met by the urbane, bow
ing, gentleman shopwalker, who, if
you are not already acquainted, learns
your need and turns you over to Miss
Pleased -to-sell, and from that moment
until you leave the house you are in her
hands.
She is quite calm and deliberate She
is perfectly justified to herself and her
employers if she spends whole morn
ing in selling you yard of lace, pro-
vided you go away satisfied and return,
for that yard of lace may be the initia-
tive of shopping friendship that will
last lifetime. If you are really salts
fed. you will most certainly call again,
and if you call again you will want
that woman to wait on you. Then will
come the smiling recognition, the al
most loving chat over the latest and
newest things, possibly after awhile a
little sub rosa anecdote about Lady ALL
frills Or laughing criticism of Mrs.
Parvenu. The acquaintance ends of
course at the shop door, possibly at the
counter, but while it lasts it is sin
cere friendship, sail acquaintances are
which are based on mutual interest and
pleasure.
As for the American store lady, there
are three general types Of her--the con-
descending, the bored, and the dressy.
How they do stand off" tradel Is
there no better medium between flip
pancy and uninterest than a condescen-
i sion which the bulk of American shop
i pers are growing up to smart under? 81
will wait on you as an especial favor, .
says the glove lady. "When circum-
stances permit, or Liz and have re-
counted last nights dreams. the rib
bon lady infers, Il will see what it is
you want - II am absolutely and su-
premely Indifferent to and independent
of what purchases you think fit to
make Of course, if you press me, can
show you some fine nainsook, but just
now my hands, arms and wrists feel a
peculiar distaste for spreading goods on
the counter, and we are sure not to
have what you are looking for. Better
go home or to another store. Some
thing very like this is mirrored in the
eye and movements of a frizzy redhead-
ed lady in a black velvet waist, trim
med with steel passementerie.
I'VE haven't it, "Why, what is
thatf'' "That? That? This? This other?
Oh, that It won't suit you. "Will
you let me SEQ it?' She drags it out
81 knew it wouldn't do, !" reproachful-
/ ly. No. Yes. Dimities? Next lady
down the aisle . The dimity lady was
saying to the lawn lady: Sally, look
at that woman Amt she sight My,
but I like her hat I've been thinking
of getting cream plumes for mine.
What's that your customers pricing:
put that remnant by for myself. We
shan't be having any more Of it this
season, lady.
The hosiery lady will frighten You
with look which says as plain as
words, What did you come to my coun-
ter for?'' The notion lady, stylish
blond, has call from a nice young man
in whom she is in serene, reposeful
way interested. The ball containing
/ your return change is reposeful too.
You chafe, but she makes you feel that
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