The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-29
shan't be having any more Of 1t this
season. lady,

ehant be having any moro Oh ~ tnis
season, lady"
The hosiery lady will brighten you
with a look which says as plain as
words, "What did you come to my conn
ter for?' The notion lady, stylish
blond, has call from 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
she is merely taking the same right that
you would take unmindful of her If a
friend came up TO you to talk. Her nice
young man looks on your impotence
with pity which he is almost ashamed
of. She makes an unruffied movement
toward the ball, her eyes still ON him,
and then repenting calls out, Laura,
just give this lady her changer Laura
comes sauntering down the aisle, gives
you stare of Identification, takes the
ball from its cage, deliberately opens it,
counts out the change and dismisses you.
The American man is not an unfamil-
lar figure at the dry goods counter. He
buys for his wife. The store lady likes
him ms a customer. Her large independ-
ence yields To him. If he is in doubt,
she will help him out with her own
taste and Judgment. If he can't see
what he wants, she will find it for him.
She knows for one thing that he means
TO buy, and she likes the way he pulls
out his money as though he knew where
TO find it; SO many women do not, and,
then, they are not expected to buy at the
first counter. In our large cities GUS
toners often come in once, but never
again. Where is the use of trying to
please and retain them? The briskness
of American business methods seems
not in the code of the counter salespeo-
pie. Impinged ON them in most tan
talizing way is an atmosphere: Here
is our display. Well may you admire.
You cannot find its equal anywhere If
you buy, of course, you will be doing
yourself a good turn, but we are not
anxious. We are troubled always with
a large indifference, and this morning
especially with that tired feeling >"
We know the American saleswomen
are i'll paid, worried with troublesome
customers and long hours on the feet.
But what saleswomen are not? They
say it is always the unexpected that
happens. but not i'll dry goods houses.
The observant American woman no Ion
ger expects her countrywoman behind
the counter to discover any wares that
may be on the shelf. She knows that
the only attention she can be quite sure
of is a glance at her get up and an imi-
tation of it if it is deemed worthy. In
America we justly hate flunkyism. We
are in no danger 1t is possible we err
too much the other way, for American
shoppers haunt the reception rooms
of foreign costumers and dry goods
merchants for little semblance of the
fitness of things and not at all because
they are Frenchy or Anglomaniacs.
Cur dry goods houses are palatial and
convenient parlors, waiting rooms, post
Offices, refreshment rooms, meeting
places and exhibitions, but they have
not the atmosphere of shops where you
can buy. Whereas in other countries
the difficulty is to leave shop without
making purchase, the difficulty here is
to buy. OF course people must and will
and do buy. But saleswomen do not en-
courage customers to spend money or to
come again. The courteous, attentive
and businesslike store lady is the excep-
ton rather than the rule.
MAsoN-NoRTH.