Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
A Hard Job, According to a Clerk Of
Experience.
BOTH SEXES ARE PASTIDIOUS
Lowering of Prices Resulting From
Active Competition.
G Fl A N g ES IN LIE


air Of interest when The Star reporter
asked him if he liked his business
Fitting shoes Is a hard lob and one
meets with many queer experiences in
dressing feet. l cannot say that 1 am spe-
claliy fond OF the business, although 1 ex-
tract great deal of pleasure in studying
the Inherent characters who form a part of
my daily business life. People have the
impression that because woman is natur-
ally fussy and particular that she is neces-
sarily the most difficult to please when 1t
comes to Shoes But this is not the case
for there are men, and number of men,
too, who are the most fastidious creatures
one can imagine in selecting footwear.
Every one admires pretty foot on a wo-
man, and we have naturally come to expect
them to wear a size or two smaller than
their foot really requires. sacrificing COM
fort for style and looks. But, bless YOU this
is not confined to the women, for there are
just as many men just foolish.
Secret Marks for Sizes,
And while am talking about small shoes
and such, do you know that the manufac-
turers have absolutely found it necessary
to mark their shoes with secret marks.
based on well-thought-out system of fig
ures, which. taken in combination give the
key to the size. This became necessary be-
cause customers would not even degn to
try on shoe that was one-half size larger
than they were accustomed to wearing and
II we did not have that exact size they
would go somewhere else, when really they
required larger size. l know of no less
| than five different marks which none but
the initiated can read, and now when Gus
toner comes in and wants a pair of shoes
we simply turn down the upper of the shoe
they have been wearing, see the cipher
mark, and, paying attention to what
they say as to size, go off and get shoe
OF corresponding size and width. Invaria-
bly, they call for size from one-hah to
two and half smaller than the they
are already wearing. The customer never
forgets to look at the size marked in the
shoe, but the system uses the guiding
figure one exactly size less than is needed,
and this compliments the purchaser to such
an extent that no question is raised. Now.
our system, as an illustration, is this If
we desire to express size 6ta We put in the
shoe 81 The clerk simply adds the second
figure to the first and adds the dash, which
means one-half. The customer thinks he
is wearing either 5, at the most 81.
And it Is not only in the size Of the shoe
that people are peculiar, but in the width.
and there are more ingrowing toe nails and
crooked toes with callous adornments due
to this pinching process than one has any
Idea Of But we must live and let live, and
the chiropodists would be put out of bust
ness if it We're not for these tight shoes and
foolish people. You notice those low mir
rors we have close TO the floor. Well, they
are for the purpose of showing the buyer
how his or her foot looks when dressed in
one of our shoes. 1t was a good suggestion |
that put a mirror in that out-of-the-way
place, because the majority of our custom |
ers are very proud of their pedal extremi- |
ties.
Effect of Competition.
1.-The shoe business is not what it used to
be-" continued the clerk, retrospecting. Il
remember the time when it was an easy
thing to get So and IS for pair of ladies
shoes. Now you are lucky if you get So
for pair. Competition has done the bust
ness, and now you would be surprised at
the excellent shoe you can get for 81 or 81. |
And, then, the shoe men are all putting in
bootblack stands and shining your shoes |
gratis, and you would be astonished at the !
number of people who buy shoes just for
this free shine attachment. Twenty shines |
means a dollar for a black pair of shoes !
and 81 for tan or patent leather. This is |
exorbitant, | know, but the bootblacks |
get it. Each of our boOtblacks is fitted |
up with all kinds of dressing and our |
sinners are not permitted to accept tips. |
Then we keep you in shoe strings, re- |
pair your shoes gratis if they wear out be- |
fore they really should. 1t is strange how |
many people persist in buying patent leath- |
er shoes and If they crack come in and |
raise fuss about it, when We distinctly |
tell the purchaser that We don't warrant |
patent leather and they must take their |
chances on it. If there ever was an inven- |
llOH mat PROVOKED man TO the use OF HX-
pletives 1t is this same patent leather. Some |
times you get a pair of shoes which will |
last for weeks and weeks and retain their |
shape and brilliant finish in spite of rain |
and storm and wear and tear. And then,
again, this same patent leather has been |
known to go to pieces in a days wear. 1 |
don't think the tan shoes are popular |
this year they We're last, although we |
have sold a large quantity of them and the |
white canvas shoe is getting into bad favor |
every day. 1t is a pretty piece of foot gear, |
but, OH how delicate! We had a customer |
some time ago, who, after being fitted with |
a pair of these white canvas shoes, remark |
ed, as he surveyed the rest of his spotless |
attire, from white hose to white hat, that |
he imagined he looked like plate of ice |
cream. Bicycle shoes, those fellows with |
the long tops, are not worn by the ladies |
any more. 1 guess because they are so hot |
and hard to lace. and the ankle doesn't |
get free movement. |
Ladies' Feet Getting Larger.
Il know the ladies will protest against |
what 1 am going to tell you, but it is never |
theless fact. Their feet are positively |
getting larger year by year. This has part |
ly been due to the new style of heavy En- |
glish walking shoes which the ladies are |
wearing, and / want to say that it is |
most commendable style. 1t not only gives |
the foot the freedom that it should have, |
but it permits circulation and is altogether |
a healthy attachment to the wardrobe. |
There is a young lady in Washington, of |
southern extraction, who has the daintiest |
foot / ever saw. / understand that we !
clerks are not supposed to notice these |
things but when this young lady comes in |
I can't help it. She wears No. 1 shoe on |
an last, and has an instep that rises as |
proudly as her dainty little head. 1t is |
very seldom we have pair of shoes to fit |
her, for our popular sizes are threes and |
fours for ladies, and we count a No. |
very small foot And / know a United |
States senator's wife who has foot big |
enough and broad enough to walk on the |
water. And how she does cramp and |
squeeze that poor foot. Washington men
and women, as a rule, have small feet. |
In fact, all through the south you will find /
the sizes smaller than in the north and
west. l think the reason for that is that |
more attention is paid in the south to dress
ing the feet than in the other places