The sun., 1897-12-19

dhant b AaSin0 sny mces q y this
season, lady. /"
Tho hoday lady viii frishten you
with look which says = plain %
words "What did you come TO my coun-
ter FORE" 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
Yen chafe, but she makes you feel that
she is merely taking the same right that
yop would take unmindful Of her il a
friend came up to ysu to talk. Her nice
young man looks on your impatience
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 changeP 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 as customer. Her large independ-
ence yields to him. II he is in doubt,
she will help him out with her own
taste and Judgment. Ii 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
ont his money as though be knew where
to find 1t; 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 good turn. but we are not
anxious. We are troubled always with
large indifference, and this morning
especially with that tired feeling"
We know the American saleswomen
are ill paid, worried with troublesome
customers and long hours on the feet.
But what saleswomen are notp They
say it is always the unexpected that
happens. but not in dry goods houses
The observant American woman no lon.
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 glance at her get up and an imi-
tation of it if it is deemed worthy. In
America we Justly hate fiunkyism. 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.
Our 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 businesslilse store lady is t.,,e exco,,-
tion rather tlan tho ra!a.
N.sOE-NORTH