The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-18
OF THE WOMAN DRUMMER.


| WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
In the good old tines business men sat
down and waited for trade.
| II 1t came they survived. perhaps grew
rich-if It did not, they went to the wall.
In those days all out-of-town merchants
| either purchased by sample or came direc;
| to some large city to buy goods.
The commercial drummer was compare
| lively unknown.
Now the wholesaler sends his myriad OF
| statesmen throughout the country and moth
ing Is left to chance.
The retailer is fast following in his foot
steps.
! He gets up and hustles for trade. The big
| city teens with a new sort of commercial
Traveller"
This agent is sometimes a man. but Is
usually a woman.
The life and experiences OF the woman
drummer about town would make Interest,"
ing reading.
Her knowledge Of human nature Is some-
thing marvellous. On that her success large
ly depends.
She comes in immediate contact with the
family purchaser. She represents q brand
OF soap, or baking powder. or patent blu
ing. or some kind OF flour. or other house,
hold necessity.
She ~nsinuates herself into the family
pACSClNS Wy BohhS eo."D
own, and brings her persuasive talents 70
bear directly upon the purchaser.
She books the smallest orders. sven Q
sample for trial If nothing else.
She takes the name and number ana the
name of the grocer or other merchant with
whom the family deals.
Her report Is turned in at her employers
store every day. Then the latter sends his
msn with the ne.shborhood orders to such
local retailer, and these statesmen sen q
least enough Of the goods to hll the orders
of his customers go represented.
Fit be a line of goods he has not there
tofore kept in stock. he ID forced thereaftsr
to keep 1t whether he wants to or not NJ
the risk of driving his customer to some
other dealer who will.
While this is called introducing goods. 1t
is by no means milne to that, but -
steadily pursued as pushing goods.
The push is kept up indefatigably by man
ufacturers Of every variety.
MY firm employs sixteen women drum
mers,' raid a bright little woman. push
ing a brand of Western -four.
Some houses have hundreds of canvass
| ers out-alI women. Women. you know. can
get at the kitchen the best. and understand
women better. +.
"How do I do IT? Oh, by hard work FIRST
of all. For It Is the hardest work a woman
can do, I think.
sui, we Ett l cdS ~ q eoJs
as much as many hard-working men can
make. Well, I'll tell you.
Each of US is assigned by the house to
a certain section.
FINDING my assignment, I begin at the
beginning systematically.
II start in after breakfast, when the men
are away from home.
Some begin at the first nat and work up,
passing up through the skylight and down
through the trap Of the adjoining house
and through that house down to the streee.
THAT method saves steps and can De
used in a row of tenement-houses to advan-
tage. where the traps are usually open dur
ing the day.
THE people OF the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES so
not SO apt TO kick
..But where there is q tanitor you have
to arrange that with him.. Then there Is
the trouble Of getting over the wall De-
tween houses.
walls. although I've done 1t at q pfncn-tne
pinch of foiling an obdurate janitor."
The plump figure was certainly confirma-
tory Of this statement, and the pretty
brown eyes danced merrily as she displayed
it by standing up.
MY general method is to begin at the top
and work down. p
You see, I'm then not out OF breath az
every place I stop.
"And one does need breath. / manage to
get In always in the forenoon. for then the
mistress Of the household Is doing her work.
"I introduce myself according to the
woman l meet, and each one diners rom
any other woman I have met. But az q rule
1 am treated with consideration.
IF the woman has a lot of children
around her I show an immediate interest in
the little ones.
'If there are sick people I sympathizs
with them. The, woman herself almost In
variably furnishes the cue. have often
booked a respectable order By simply drop
ping my business and giving the woman an
opportunity to relate her grievances to Q
sympathetic listener. :
after having shut me on abruptly In the
start she would bring up the matter her
self. and an order naturally follows. :
This takes some of my time. but I must
be able to Judge whether 1t is worth while.
TN fact, two of the most formidable OBJ
atacles ! have 10 deal with are grievances