The sun., 1898-12-18

of the store has reserve stock of this sort,
and SO there Is no reason why the customers
should doubt when the sales person tells
her that the article she desires is In stock
On the sixth floor also is the foreign
sample room, where the Paris representa-
tive OF the. establishment brings his sam
pies OF goods to be imported. Here also is
or two deft-fngered girls, with lightning
like rapidity, mark each page of the books
In which the sales persons record the pur-
chases with the number given to the sales
is taken up with the auditing department,
where portion Of every check made out by
the sales person goes. Here are expert
accountants with adding machines, and
through this department. the record Of
heads OF the firm learn just how much busi-
ness has been done In any department
during any period,
But, the goods have been purchased, re-
and are ready for SALE Something is
sold. This sales person rapidly makes out
q check. How many purchasers ever
think what that check contains? 1t has
four records, on it, One. the name and
on the package when it is ready for de-
livery. The Others records of the pur-
chase, go, one to the auditing department.
one to the customer as receipt and one
basement and here, too. all the small
bundles go, dropped through chute after
they have been wrapped. II the bundle
is too large to be dropped through the
chute, the record OF the purchase Is sent
instead and returned with the authorizing
officers mark on 1t, to be placed on the arti-
Gle before 1t ean be delivered. No article
ever leaves the store before passing through
will know at a glance whether a name on
parcel to be charged is the name of one of
the 10000 customers who have running ac-
counts. Passing the authorizing office the
bundles, wrapped and marked with the
name OF the purchaser, go to the delivery
room in the basement, dropping through
a chute II they are small enough and
not breakable. Here they are piled in
an apparently jumbled mass. Three
glancing at the address and blue pencilling
a big number on the wrapping paper just as
fast as they can write. That number be-
longs to the deliveryman who is to take
boys fnoW the ey Sy heart aSS t6e9
know more. There are over two hundred
delivery wagons, and to each one Is assigned
particular route. These boys know the
exact boundaries Of these routes and can
packages into the routes to which they be-
long. AS fast as the packages are num-
bered men carry them to bins about three
sides OF the delivery room, corresponding
key to his particular bin, and three times
dayh opens the door, removes the bundles
waiting for him and delivers them. There is
superintendent OF delivery who controls all
this and who must keep continually chang
ing the routes given to the various delivery
men 30 that one may not have more than he
can handle and another may not have less
Day and night the delivery room is busy
scene, and two gangs OF men are kept con-
stantly employed to secure despatch In the
delivery OF purchases About the holiday
time forty extra vans are engaged, tho
force is enlarged, and the men work twice
as hard. Throughout the transaction,
from the time OF the purchase TO the time
whom the deliveryman gives several pack
ages TO his boy to carry while he drives in
another direction, minute record is kept
OF each step, and yet 1t Is all done with
the smallest amount OF writing possible.
There Is special delivery room for the
goods to be shipped out OF town and for
those larger goods which require special
vans, and there ID special room also for
toys around Christmas time. But the su-
perintendent OF delivery has charge over
all and is as responsible a man as one who
controls large express business.
Straus believe that they have done some-
thing which will inure to tho lasting bene-
lit OF the public OF tho Greater New York
and they have good reason for this belief
But their efforts in behalf Of convenient
shopping have not been confined to the
periectlng OF mechanical system of sup
ply The convenience of shoppers has
been amply looked after. The building
running from Livingston TO Schermerhorn
street serves a double purpose. The three
upper stories make an admirable stor-
age house, one entire floor there being de-
voted To groceries, and through the lower
hoor is cut broad driveway leading from 1
one street TO the other. This is to ac-