Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-06-09
CLOSING OF A BIG STORE.
missed for the Day ia
New Minutes,

5ut of a big crowded dry goods store
IN trihe under ten minutes may seem
! ike pretty big task When it is con-
sidered that each one of the 5000 is
obliged to go TO cloallroom and don
street attire wraps, coats, hats and
other impeEimcuta, before leaving the
lob seems a tridc larger, But when it
| is stiu further considered that each one
Is to be observed as he or she passes
out by a 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 he 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 a 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.
Everything is simpleand practical. The
observer, standing in one Of the CALLER
les and looking down upon the shift
ing, changing crowds thronging the
aisles, shoppers pulling goods from
one another, cash girls dartiug about
in the crowd here and there, saleswom-
rn 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
end the whole crowded panoranlN
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 80 o'clock, as is the case at Mar
snail 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 a,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 eoun-
ters to the cloakrooms, and in less than
two minutes afterwards most of them
are in the streets hurrying for street
cars At $500 the gong strikes again
and a 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 a, third sound
which is released at 5:25, and again at
5:27 the bell is heard, letting the asst
. Of the clerks go off duty. The cash boys
are freed from toll at 5:31 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
t dom any friction between the clerks
= md customers about closing. Usually
g the shoppers have FASTENED toward
home long before the closing hour, bur
+ If one fingers among the bargains the
/ clerk is called upon to wait the custom
s er's pleaEire MS cheerfully MS Though
the hour were ten in the morning
s All the employees are obliged to pass
5. out through the employees doors and
IN order to prevent petty pilferine
u which might occur were not a Ntrirl
g watch kept the salespeople are Obliged
o to, submit an packages taken from tRt
d store to the inspectors some tire dl.r
e ing the day and a pass is issued there.
u for. The inspector at the door takes
b M all these passes as the employees
Il walk out StIl there is no hurry are
q nc confusion. The exodus Of the sales
= P'OplC ~ Wy HlhSu anu ofhclA1s Muct
b more so than the conduct Of the ordi
y nary bargain-day crowd of shoppers
n Fifteen minutes after the first bel
/ strikes the customers are gone. thu
r clerks are gone. The foorwall1ers have
y disappeared and the whole great build
u ing is turned over to the janitors an,
II wotchmen until another day begins
Chicago Chronicle.
Matrimonial.
3 Johnpie. Fewscads and Gus De Smiti