The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-23
SHORT STORIES.
The Clerk didn't Know.


One Of the proprietors of a big depart
ment store decided the other day to find
out how customers were treated in his
establishment He is so seldom seen
around the place that few of the clerks
know MIN by sight, hence it was not
or forT,,I,o Tor him to assume disguise
S1SSoSss OF his undertaking.
ICING into the shoe department ha cot
heen 10 De waited on A clerk who had
bnrriod "A me .ne store only a few weeks
s saTSu forward and asked:
Nay | show you a pair of sboes9,,
70 Ill tHe merchant said, Il would like
In, ip ION at some, but I don't know as
..ye ruy ya ~ 1 puy a pair today"
what we can find SeS
lien ne made some inquiries as TO the
siyIe MS employer preferred and fbe
boTas wore and began taking down
o. shoe after another was tried on
IT. .Le customer could not be suited
49,, ~ .Oes Were not right, or the shape was
fbings or II dldnt MT, or there was some
LII elSe ABOUT every shoe the clerk
or0quced that was not as il should be =
nree or four times the proprietor said
ne X SsSec ne would have to give il uD
ana Try again at some future time but
the clerk always persuaded him 10 wait
JuSt moment. Then he would get an
Vtner PAIR and make new effort to suit
the gentleman, setting forth as eloquent-
~ as ne could the merits of The shoes
anu expressing confidence in his ability
10 ma what was wanted sooner or later
AT last the merchant looked I'D at his
employee and said:
fou don seem to be worried over the
w.th me-" "a nc
oh: | don't think I've wasted the
. tl.lne; the clerk replied. People are in
wee to come here and do business if
they see what they want If they can't
be suited they ought to have as much
right to complain as We
Stlll you have left it all to me. Don't
you think you ought to know more about
II than | do? You sell shoes every day.
you know
Il sell shoes every day." the clerk
but l can't wear yours for you.
and shall not try to persuade you to
buy something you don't want"
The proprietor went out saying he
might return at some future time and
Try again After he was gone the head
OF the shoe department went over TO the
new clerk and whispered something to
MN. The latter turned a little pale along
the sides of his nose and said:
Inen suppose | may as well begin
hunting around for another job
On the following morning the manager
OF the store called the saddened clerk
into the office and said:
The president of this company went
into the shoe department yesterday to
get pair of shoes
Yes, L know it," the clerk replied
He couldn't get what he wanted"
The clerk gave a long sigh and looked
at the floor.
You told him you were not axious to
sell goods if people didn't show a proper
eagerness to buy" the manager went
on.
The clerk nodded that it was so.
We'll, do you think it would pay US
to keen a man like you in our shoe de-
oartment?''
Feeling that it would profit him moth
ing to be abject, since he was to be dis
charged anyway, the miserable clerk re-
piled:
II suppose not But if l had it to do
again I would do as l did yesterday.
VERY we'll We need a man to take
charge of our clothing department, and
Mr. - wishes you to have the place
because you were -ksTsd enough to give
him credit for knowing what he wanted
better than you did.