The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-04-20
CLOSING OF A BIG STORE.
Thousands of Persons Quietly Dis-
missed for the Day I'm
Few Minutes.

Getting something over 5000 people
out of big crowded dry goods store
in trifie under ten minutes may seem
like pretty big task. When it is con-
sidered that each one of the 5000 is
obliged to go to cloakroom and don
street attire, wraps, coats, hats and
other impedimenta, before leaving the
job seems trif1e larger. But when it
is still further considered that each one
is to be observed as he or she passes
out by doorkeeper, who takes up
passes for any bundles that may be
carried, the layman is ready to throw
up his hands and say it cannot be done.
Yet it is done every evening in half
dozen of the great department stores,
and so quietly and Systematically that
there is no confusion, no hurry, no
rush. Each employee steps to his place
like trained soldier, the ranks move
steadily out of the employees door and
in a few minutes it is all over.
There is no complicated system about
the closing of a big store for the night.
Everythingis simple and practical. The
observer, standing in one of the CALLER
les and looking down upon the shift
ing, changing crowds th1'onging the
aisles, shoppers pulling goods from
one another, cash girls darling about
in the crowd here and there, saleswom-
en- standing so close together behind
the counters as to touch elbows, might
marvel how all this was to be straight
ened out when the hour for closing
came; how quiet was to be restored
without friction, how the aisles were
to be cleared of shoppers and employees
and the whole crowded panorama
changed for one of desolation and re-
pose.
1t is done in very few minutes. Sup
pose the hour for closing the store is
set at $50 o'clock, as is the case at Mar
shall Fields retail store. In various
parts of the building above the coun-
ters are placed gongs which, while they
do not alarm the customers when they
strike, can still be heard at some little
distance. At 5:15 all of these gongs
strike what is known as the first bell.
AT that hour certain number of the
salespeople, those who come on duty
earlier than the others, are released
from duty, and they go at once from
their counters when the gongs strike,
unless they chance to be busy with
customers at the moment. In that
case, of course the clerk is obliged to
remain until that sale is made or other
wise disposed of, and then she goes.
They slip away from behind the coun-
to,.C 70 ha oil onI IL, 1ocS thor,
two minutes afterwards most of them
are in the streets hurrying for street
cars. At 500 the gong strikes again
and second squad of employees is thus
relieved of duty. They make no noise
or confusion about going. They have
been expecting the gong for some little
time perhaps, and everything is ready.
AS soon as the bell is heard they fade
away from behind the counters and
soon reappear at the employees door,
tc be joined there by third squad,
which is released at 1928, and again at
5:27 the bell is heard, letting the last
of the clerks go off duty. The cash boys
are freed from toll at 5: 81 o'clock, and
they, too, hurry away.
AS soon as the first bell strikes GER
tain of the doors are locked at once and
the others are guarded by watchmen.
No more customers are allowed to enter
and those who are completing their
trades at the time the store closes are
allowed egress through the doors held
by the watchmen. There is very sell
dom any friction between the clerks
and customers about closing. Usually
the shoppers have fastened toward
home long before the closing hour, but
if one fingers among the bargains the
clerk is called upon to wait the custom
er's pleasure as cheerfully as though
the hour were ten in the morning.
All the employees are obliged to pass
out through the employees doors and
in order to prevent petty pilfering
which might occur were not strict
watch kept the salespeople are obliged
to submit all packages taken from the
store to the inspectors some time dur
ing the day and pass is issued there
for. The Inspector at the door takes
up all these passes as the employees
walk out. Still there is no hurry and
no confusion. The exodus of the sales
people is dignified and orderly, much
more so than the conduct of the ordi-
nary bargain-day crowd of shoppers
Fifteen minutes after the first bell
strikes the customers are gone, the
clerks are gone, the floorwalkers have
disappeared and the whole great build
ing is turned over to the janitors and
watchmen until another day begins
Chicago Chronicle.
Matrimonial.
Johnnie FewscadS and Gus De Smith