The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-28

Guilty, although stores that do q, large ma IL
order business and employ special clerks
to look after the department do not give
this. commission. Having arranged for
her pay, the professional shopper next
turns her attention to her customers.
Most women do more or less shopping for
out of town friends, and when they take
up shopping as a means of livelihood,
they send their circulars to their friends.
The northwestern news of the daily
papers is scanned and circulars sent to the
professional people whose names are men
toned The rosters of the fraternal So
cieties and wonans clubs furnish other
names and more circulars are sent to the
teachers in the schools through the vest
ern states, Not every circular brings a
customer, but more orders are received
from them than one would fancy, and
every satisfactory purchase is adver-
usement for the shopper.
Purchases are not made for town people,
although one agent has worked up quite
a successful business with out-of town
university girls who are too busy to bother
with buying what they need and gladly
turn their wants over to some one else,
so long. as it does not cost them any
thing.
business with their customers, sending
their purchases c. O, D., others have "a
partial credit system which is settled
monthly. The stores pay the commission
once a month and sometimes the checks
are decidedly large, for the accounts often
run into the hundreds of dollars. when
you buy four ands five tailor suits day
and not one Of them is for less than $40.
the commission is bound to count up
sa id one shopper
| : There is really little dun time for.
successful shopping agent. The rush be-
| fore Christmas: keeps her busy for long
hours every day, and then the pre-inyen-
/ tory sales furnish her with many an order
| and by the time theS-are over the usual
spring shopping is needed. until one sea-
son seems to dovetail into another.
| A branch Of their work which most OF
! the shoppers enjoy is accompa nying their
customers who desire to make their own
purchases. It is always an advantage to
have a personal acquaintance with those
you do business for, and the agent.
through her knowledge of the different
stores, is able TO make the out of town
woman utilize her time to the best adj
| vantage
II have just been out with bride get
ting her trousseau," explained one agent.
as she came into her office. We have
I ordered gowns and hats and lingerie.
Som etilnes buy the trousseau without
/ the bride. although / must confess that
| I enjoy bridal shopping more if she is
/ with me. 1t infuses a new element. in
what otherwise would be but a part. of
4 the days work. -.
1
I to their commissions from their homes.
but where they were at all successful they
found that a downtown office, where they
could receive mail and customers simpli
/ fed their business, even though 1T did
transfer them from the quiet of the home
to the turmoil of the business world.
Mrs. c. w. Knettle was perhaps the first
woman in town who shopped profession
ally. and she carried a successful bust
ness for many years. Now Mrs. j.. F.
Halnmons is manager of the Knette Pur-
chasing agency, which was started eight
cen years ago. Since Mrs. knettle led
the way, many women have taken up the
work for a while and then dropped it.
Among the Minneapolis women who are
at present we'll known throughout the
northwest as shopping agents. are Mrs.
Stella Adams Mcintyre. the Misses NJ. a.
/ FIilliI1er, Helen NJ Knight. Ainsworth
Emma Dronberger. A. G: Mabee, Leah e.
Fish and Mrs. Eva J. Ramsdell.
To be a shopping agent does not mean
that one can go down town and do few
errands for out-of town friends whenever
SO inclined; it means that woman should
bring into her work the same perseverance
and interest that a man takes to his bust
ness, and in. that way she will meet with
such success as is her due.