The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-11-28
EFFECT OF A "KiCK. "
TT Is FAR REACHING IN 4 BIG
DEPARTMENT STORE.

1 are overcome
Did you ever think what it means
when you make kick because the
things you bought this morning at one
| of the retail shops were not delivered
this afternoon? Did you ever think
what it means when you report a girl
for inattention or for discourtesy when
you make purchase? Did you ever
think what it means when a mistake is
lmade in your change and you say moth
| ing about it? Did you ever think how
a little thing of this sort may disturb
| the whole great machinery of a great
establishment;
''It is the little blunder that makes
all the trouble" said the manager of a
place that employs close on to one
thousand people. I'VE can guard
against the big blunders, but against
the little ones we are helpless. They
are not exactly blunders they are mac
curacies, and they will occur in spite of
everything we can do to prevent. We
simply have to accept them, and make
allowances and do the best we cam"
The effect of a 'kick' is more far
reaching than any one unfamiliar with
the working of such an establishment
would imagine. And most of the effect
is not the sort that can be measured,
for it is that that comes from resent
ment. No one likes to be censured
whether it be a department manager,
or bundle boy, and when one has been
censured his temper is pretty apt to be
more or less ruff1ed all the rest of the
day.
Many and many time" said this
manager, II have seen the effece of a
kick coming from the head of the house.
Perhaps some friend of his has kicked
to him about inattention of some EN-
ploye. He charges the blunder to the
general manager. Naturally the mana
ger does not stand under it, so as soon
as he has taken it he passes it along to
a department manager, from him it
goes to the floor walker, and so on down
the line until that one blunder that in
the beginning amounted to little enough,
has put dozen people in the house
upon the ragged edge of ruffied tempers.
Can it be estimated what such dis
turbing thing has cost the houses? Be-
ing called down disturbs a person
whether 1t makes him angry or not, and
makes him the less competent to carry
on his work." ........,...
In actual money probably the cost Of
inaccuracies in large retail store is
small, for the safeguards that are
thrown out, and the elaborate system Of
heclSing up that is used is so thorough
that it would be Impossible for any
very big leaks to escape detection very
long. A new clerk when she goes into
a stock" Is given thorough talking to
by the head of the department or the
floor walker and is impressed with the
fact that 1t does not, pay to be inaccu-
rate. She is told that any mistakes she
makes will be charged to her, that the
first mistake will mean q reprirnand,
the second win be a warning, and the
third-wtll that particular store can
not afford to have employees who make
three mistakes. OF course, young
girl just going to work for the first time
makes mistakes, but a little talking to-,
not scolding, will bring her out all right.
This training Of inaccurate people
which begins as soon as a girl goes on
the pay roll continues as long as she
stays there, for the management be-
lieves that an ounce of prevention is
worth pound of cure. More than that,
the management does not believe that
there is such a thing as born inaccu-
racy." 1t believes that If people will
think they will be accurate, and they
lose no opportunity for training their
people to think. Every few days de
partment meetings. are held. 1t may
be just five minutes before the store
opens In the morning, or five minutes at
night while the girls are getting on their
wraps. They are very informal, these
meetings, but they. serve to establish
an understanding and fellowship be-
tween the girls and their immediate su-
periors. The department managers
find that censure delivered in gene
ralization at one Of hese meetings is
much better in it's results than If it
were delivered to the girl personally.
Iraceuracy is usually the text of these
meetings, and always it is pointed out
that the quality of accuracy is capital,
, and that it may be made the basis of
promotion.
The per cent of errors in figures in a
large department store is very small.
A girl who cannot multiply and add
and compute fractions readily and cor
reetly soon finds that 1t is three times
and out with her. The errors in meas
urements are slight, too, for all the
goods sold in the store are measured
twice and then inspected, too, so that
the possibility of mistake is reduced to
minimum. In regard to change the
rule is rigid. When a clerk receives a
piece Of money from a customer she is
required to name it, two dollar bill,
fifty cents, or whatever it may be-.
] When the change comes back she is re-
CURED to count it out to the customer.
If both these rules are followed, and the
customer claims later that an error has
been made, that she has been "short
changed" the presumption is always in
favor of the clerk, and nothing is done
about 1t. If, however, the clerk has
been hurried and careless, and has
failed to count out the change, and then
| the customer makes a kick" the pre-
sumption is against the clerk, and she
is charged up with the amount of the
mistake. These charges 60 every night
to the superintendent, who usually calls
| tn girl into his office to hear her side of
the case. Sometimes the fine, for that