Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-26
The Long Hours of Store Clerks.

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The tfme-hallowed custom of making
Christmas gifts is a beautiful one. It tends
to keep alive and to freshen the shirt of
kindness, of altruism, of peace on earth
and good will to men," But there is at
least one grave abuse connected with this
custom. l refer to the excessively long
hours which the shop girls statesmen,
drivers OF delivery wagons, employees of the
post ONCE and express companies, and
others are obliged to work during the hoi-
day season in order that we may purchase
our Christmas gifts and have them safely
delivered 1t is well-known fact that
hundreds of salespeople in this city work
for several weeks in succession from in
the morning till 8, 10 and even II o'clock at
night, with short intermissions for meals
rms means that girls and young women,
many OF them not physically robust, are
Obliged to be on their feet for twelve to
fourteen hours daily during the weeks i'm
medlatefy preceding Christmas. The nat
urai result is physical exhaustion, amount
ing IN some instances to downright torture
Who is to blame? The shoppers do not
intend to be cruel. Few of them stop to
think, IN their anxiety to show their good
WIN 10 their friends, that they are violating
the Christmas spirit by contributing to the
oVerWork and physical suffering of the
helpless employees of great commercial
houses. If you ask the proprietor or man
why he does not have two shifts of en-
ployes so that none need work over eight
or ten hours day, he will probably reply
that this would add greatly to his expenses
and enable his competitors to undersell
him.
In New York, Chicago and other cities
consumers leagues and other organizations
nave tried to minimize this evil by urging
the public to do all Christmas shopping be-
1ore December or December 15, and after
those dates to make any necessary pur-
chases before pm. with strict orders to
have the goods delivered not later than
= o'clock on the day of purchase or the
following day; and no doubt this would
nave some good effect. 1t might even lead
TO carrier closing of the stores. But there
will always be large number of Christ
mas shoppers who will find 1t more conyen-
lent to do their buying from to 10 o'clock
In the evening. and who will place their
convenience before the public good
Cannot something be done here before
another Christmas rolls around? Is 1t not
possible TO secure congressional legislation
which will prevent this overworking of
helpless people? Is, ut too much to hope
prietors of our large department stores will
get together within the next year and de-
wise some method of abatipg this evil? Why
should they not make an, ironclad agree
ment with each other not to work any of
their employees more than fixed number
OF hours each day. and when it is necessary
to keep their places of business open twelve
to fifteen hours daily tor have two sets of
employees This may sound Utopian, but 1t
would be a splendid advertisement for
Washington If such a plan could he carried
through
If our Christmas gifts and festivities are
not hollow sham, let US in future years
allow some of the Christmas joys and re-
laxations to come tosthe hundreds of faith
full workers who selland deliver Christmas
goods VIM, D. MACKENZIE.