Daily camera., 1901-05-13
CHANCES FOR WOMEN
One Of the Sex Seeking Employ
ment Learns Strange Things.
Facts which Prove That the Men
Have Not u Monopoly on ln9eA-
uity-Odd Ways of Making
q Livelihood.

The ways in which New York women
who are dependent upon their own
efforts make both ends meet are
varied A woman who has been forced
to look for work made memorandums
of what she found others doing. She
did not try for ordinary clerical work,
or stenography, typewriting or EN-
ployment in stores, says the Sun.
II found one woman" she said, "who
is making comfortable living for her
self and supporting an invalid hus-
band by selling gloves which have been
thrown aside at the glove counters for
apparently trivial reasons. For ex-
ample, in fitting a glove the saleswom-
an may break off button or rip n
seam or soil it so as to spoil sale.
This woman has contract with sew
eral stores to take all such gloves at
reduced figure.
"She skillfully repairs whatever
damage has been done and sells the
gloves Mt less, of course, than the
store price. / do not know what she
pays for the damaged goods. That
depends, l fancy, upon the extent of
the damage. But l do know that in
some eases she sells pair of Sl.50
gloves for one dollar. maybe less, and
so on. l know she has built up quite
business in this way. A number Of
her patrons now have orders with her
frequently in advance for from one
to half dozen pairs. The saving Of
so or rs cents on pair of gloves il
quite an item.
Another woman who had tried in
vain to make living at millinery, in
which she is n'expert, calls at num-
Der of houses in her neighborhood
and takes the daily market orders.
She is paid for this, of course. and I
am pretty sure she is smart enough
to get commission besides from the
butcher and the grocer.
Sometimes when the mistress OF
the house wants something extra for
special luncheon or dinner the order
taker makes more. On one occa sion a
woman who had lived in Washington
wanted some Lynnhavcn oysters. Now
it is n fact that you can't find Lynn
haven oyster in New York such as
you can get in Washington.
This ordertaker knew exactly how
to get the Washington Lynnhavens at
reduced price, and how to have them
shipped, and she made handsome
profit on her order. She told me she
would not exchange her work for
place in the biggest millinery foundry,
as she called il. in New York.
Another woman buys all the the.
nter tickets for colony away uptown.
Her patrons call up on the phone and
name the date and play, and she does
the rest.
Il found another who, in addition TO
some other little jobs, furnishes sew
eral churches with communion bread.
Then there Is another who sends out
samples of new goods to customers in
the country. She is not exactly pur-
chasing agent. for there are many
such; she simply sends out the sam
pies. naming the house where the
goods may be obtained. The name and
the address of each person receiving
the samples are furnished TO the house
sending out the samples, and in case
OF sale the woman is notified by the
house, which pays her commission.
This sort of business, she told me.
pays better than direct purchase by
an agent-if the woman who sends the
sampies has good list OF customers,
for the reason that many customers
in the country rather like the idea
of dealing with the house direct in
purchases. The stores. she added. are
not so apt to send samples as n wom-
an who makes business Of it.
Il found woman in drug store
in a fashionable part of the city who
is a graduate in pharmacy. She fills
only such prescriptions as are brought
in by women. She receives salary.
but she gets commission on all the
trade she secures from women.
"And SO it goes in this great city
where so many women have to make
their own living. II n woman can only
find something novel she will find
plenty of people to help her out"