The Wichita daily eagle., 1898-01-07
Are Beautiful Spies.


A writer in the New York Herald says:
There is a position in every first class re-
tail dry goods store which is very respon-
sible, we'll salaried and held in every case
by a woman. / do not know exactly what
this woman should be called She is nei-
ther a buyer drummer. clerk nor SaiesWo-
man. In many cases she seldoms goes TO
the establishment employing her, except
as a shopper, and she Is almost unknown
to the employees of the store She IS not
bound down by any ironclad rules as 10
working hours but for all that she earns
her money, and her time is, in the main,
very well occupied with the affairs OF the
firm she works for.
The woman is usually employed to keep
tab on the sales, prices and quahty OF
goods sold in rival stores In order 10 De
valuable to her employers she must look
so entirely different from what one would
suppose woman holding such position
would as to be above suspicion. Her du-
ties are to watch the prices IN all rival
houses and report if any firm is under
selling her house even one cent stores
which keep similar goods, which cater 10
the same class of customers and which are
run pretty nearly upon thesame lines are
the ones she must watch.
"A
the average shop girl, floor walker or head
of a department would be utterly useless
for such a position. What good could she
accomplish if when she appeared in a
store somebody might recognize her and
saw. .Oh. she comes from So-andSo's
1t is a sad fact that the well dressed,
well sroomed, swell looking woman Will
receive more attention from the clerk
standing behind the counter than her more
| unassuming sister. Acting on this prin'
ciple, the heads of our large retail firms
will pay good salaries to woman whc
! can shop, who can price, who can ques-
ton. who can squeeze out every grain OF
| information from the polite clerk, because
| she looks more like woman with Well
filled pocketbook and a possibly profitable
customer than one who may be able &c
| outbid her but whose whole appearance
bespeaks one who must count her pennies
| before spending them.
| The expenses attending such a position
are heavy. The woman must dress well
1 richly, in fact, and must live in a first
| class neighborhood, for much of her bust
| ness must be done al her own home.
For instance the firm which employs
her wants to get the model of a walking
visiting, reception or ball costume, Of
some pretty matinee or even dainty tea
| gown. She is told to go TO some swell
1 dress maker and is given carte blanche.
She hires handsom, rustles up the Step
| in her silk lined, tailor made costume
| and. entering the show rooms. states he
| business in a calm, entirely at home kim
| of manner, and is shown the latest style
| at once Her order is given, her measur
| taken, and when she returns to pas
| through the hands of the filter. who is Il
| the habit of trying on Mr.. Astor's Mrs
| Vanberbilt's or Mrs. Gould's gowns, sh
| must be so underclothed that she bear
| the stamp of refinement and social breed
| ing at the first glance. Then she mus
| live in a part of the city which. when sh
| gives her address. arouses no suspicion
as to her ability to pay the bill or her so
| cial position to wear the gown ordered.
After this swell gown has been delivere
and paid for il finds its way to the work
room of the firm. and soon models of TIL
imported or specially ordered costume ar
on exhibition in the show rooms and 70
sale.
A manager of one of the fashionabl
stores, when asked how much salary sue
a woman was paid, replied:
1.-THE salary depends upon the tact an
Judgment of the employe. Twenty-fiv
dollars a week would be the salary OF
woman who understood her business
even $50 if she had social prestige an
was distinguished enough in appearanc
to insure unusual attention from the sho
| people,"