The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-05
HosTEssEs IN STORES.
They Aid the Womah Who Is Bold
Enough to- Go shoppinK Alone.

Enough to- Go shopRtng. Alone.
| New York Sun ,o,a,eS
Five ''hostesses" are now included in
the staff of one of New York's large de-
partment stores. Some people call them
| guides, but the five women themselves
prefer to be known as hostesses If you
ask them their mission In the affairs Of
| the place they will tell you that they
extend the Inequalities of the store to
shoppers" This glittering phrase repre-
sents a line Of duties which will appeal
| to every woman as exceedingly practical.
Talk Of it's not being good for man to
be alone There is one time of all 9TH
ers when 1t is not good for woman. to be
alone. and that is when she Is shopping
Rather than go forth solitary to q shop
ping expedition, woman would take
her mother-in-laW along. There is gen.
orally speaking, nothing stronger to be
said. Nine women out of ten declare in
the moderate terms so dear to the fem
nine tongue, that they simply. loathe and
despise to go shopping alone The pro-
prietor of the store In question recognized
the prevalence of this sates of mind and
determined that no woman need come to
his emporium with such sentiments dis
turbing her serenity. Hence these host
esses
They have little office on the second
floor at one corner of the rotunda. Fac
ing the open center of the building is an
array of cords stretched from the railing
up to the next floor. 1t looks as II some
body intended to raise sweet peas or
vines. The only blossoms which come on
this trellis, however, are five bright IL
lie satin banners, one for each of the
hostesses. One is a blue and white, one
of scarlet and white, and so on If a
hostess Is not in her Office when called for
her banner is run up, and that is a signal
to her that she is wanted. She is sup
posed to keep an eye on the trellis while
she Is away from the office and respond
to her banner signal as boon as posi-
BILE. ~;
The role Of these hostesses is that of a
guide and adviser. a woman comes in
with list of purchase she wishes to
make. She doesn't know the store, and
moreover she isn't sure that she knows
just what she wants. She fakes hostess
to be her guide, philosopher, or, at any
rate, counsellor and friend. Her new ally
knows all the ms and outs of the store,
and can lead the way. without loss of
time from one departmeGt to another,
securing Immediate attention in each.
She is also thoroughfys jnfarfned as to the
latest fashions, the best and most popular
materials, colors and designs. She gives
her advice as to what will be the most
becoming thing to get, how much mate
every one Of the problems in fact, which
torture the solitary shopper with dread
full doubts.
Each of the five hostesses has her own
clientele Of customers, who always de-
pend on her to shop with them. One is
a Southern woman, who makes the GUS
toners from the South her own partic-
ular charge. They find in her real host
ess, who takes away the strangeness of
being in great city, wholly different
| in. atmosphere from what they have
grown accustomed to. Another of the
hostesses is Catholic, and takes care of
all the customers from the converts and
other essentially Catholic sfnstiutions.
This privilege of having shopping made
easy Is not alone for out-of-Iowns custom
ers. Many city women avail themselves
of 1t. There is no charge ito the customer
at all. The guides are really hostesses,
delegated by the proprietor to extend the
courtesies of the houses lfs@ |