The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-28
INDUSTRY The PRICE OF SUCCESS
SHOPPING AGENTS FIND PLEASANT AND PROFIT
ABLE, REQUIRING ONLY ORDINARY BUSINESS KNoWL
EDGE AS A PREPARATION-sTILL MANY
FALL BY THE WAYSIDE.

1T is a business In which any woman
may make a success and every woman
might make failure" said one Of the
shopping agents. last week. speaking of
her own line Of work. Many women
take it up because they think they may
make a good income with little work.
Success in shopping means just what sue
cess in other lines represents-hard work.
You can't make money without working
for it, and the sooner the woman who
wants to succeed realizes that fact, the
quicker she will reach her aim.
II have been shopping agent over
year. and my days have working
hours now than they did at first, for my
business has grown within each twenty
four hours. have a friend who began
at the same. time. but she became dis
couraged because she could not. conduct
her business without letting 1t, interfere
with her social claims. She gave it up,
and grumbles whenever the words Shop
ping agent are mentioned. I have had
to let first one social pleasure go, and then
another, but in place Of the receptions
and teas have now a list of about 500
customers and a mail that is sure to have
something interesting at least twice a
day
Here is an average variety that came
this morning. and she picked up bunch
Of letters from her desk. Zone woman
| wants a graduating dress for her daugh-
ter; another. would like me to suggest a
! new, menu for dinner and order the
dishes that cannot be made at home from
a caterer in town; third would like to
know something of the summer shirt
waists and orders material for six at, so
cents yard. Here is an order for flow
| ers for a funeral. and another for a
| brides bouquet A woman in North Da-
kota wants material for bedroom cur
tairs. and the Ladies' Aid Society Of a
samples of wall paper suitable for a small
frame church. A scrap of pink ribbon is
| to be matched: an infants 1ayette ar
| ranged for and this last writer would, like
/ to know II will be at liberty next
| Wednesday to go shopping with a. custo-
| p1er from Wisconsin, -,
| Orders come by long distance telephone.
| telegraph and mail. The telephone and
telegraph orders are usually for flowers
for a funeral although an occasional we'd
ding present is ordered over the wire by
} somebody who has postponed the newt
able until it is too late to do more than
}-send hurry-up order, or forgetful hus
band calls up the agent to ask her help
in properly remembering his wife's birth.
day.
There is nothing menotenous about the
1 day Of a shopping agent. and her2work
sends her from a swell uptown -mediste
" IepuDllcan headquarters to- inquire
about campaign. torches, to the under.
takers to order a coffin, back to a milf
ner. on to a music store to hunt up a
song whose melody runs in the fashion sci
by a few bars of poorly written music
through every dry: goods store to match
a bit OF blue ribbon, and then to the den.
lists to see about a false, tooth II
/ One of the agents recently received an
order for glass eye. In her reply the
! shopper suggested that it would be. a good
plan II the customer would come herself.
| that the new. eye might match the old one.
The suggestion was followed the shopper
met the: customer at the station. accom-
panied her to the optician s. and helped to
match the peculiar blue of the remaining
eye, And over a cozy little luncheon the
customer expressed her gratitude and
/ begged the agent to keep the object Of her
visit a secret as her husband did not
know she had a glass eye.
), Shopping for other people naturally sus-
i gests itself as an employment to woman
4 who wants to earn her own living It is
a peculiarly feminine work and one for
I which most women are fitted without any
4 long training. The woman who would
i shop for others first visits the stores and
! arranges to receive 10 per cent commits
sion on sales made through her This is
usually accomplished without any diff