The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-17
FREE SHOWS FOR SHOPPERS.
BH ~ MS SPENT by STORES TO
AMI SE THEIR CUSTOMERS.
Concert Halls In Western Shops Where FREQ
Entert ailments Are Given Play.
grounds for children Window spes
ciallsis Who Earn GOOD salaries.

Il saw vaudeville show for nothing
the other day." announced a dialogue
| artist. ..N ~ ~. --i
-Whare" asked his comparison.
I'm blank department store; 1t was
thrown in with a ive-cent package Of pins
vas tho answer
Vaudeville il only one of an almost endless
variety Of entertaining things that retail
stores all over the country employ 20 help
trade along SO widespread has this feat
ui. uf big bookkeeping h,'come in the past
few wears that hundreds of men and women
carr, their living entirely by travelling
| about from store to stora the length ana
breadth of the land, directing end giving
| their specialties therein.
The manager who makes contracts with
these people to the amount Of 81 o0oor Nc,o0
weekly is no longer a rare and caring spirit.
With an eve single 10 business, the an,lss-
ments are almost solely planned to attract
| women
Some Of the entertainments appeal to
| them directly, as demonstrations OF every
thing cooka!le and wcarablc. Others ap-
peal TO them through their children, ann
| these according to the managers. are tbs
| best sort Hence the ever-present solici-
f, tide in many n store for the pleasure ana
comfort Of small boys and girls.
One store in an Eastern city has given
over the larger par. of one Of its floors
to a playground Sandheaps. hammocks,
swings, foot and handballs, small ponds
for sailing boats, fonts. dolls. doll-houses.
and doll-baby carriages arc provided In
profuson for any child VIII, may b. left
10y its mother in cara of one of the nurses
in attendance If the mother wishes 1t,
the n,irsn will slip play dress over the
child, in order to keep its dress clean and
nca, while ii is in tho playground.
1t not infreouently happens that during
the summer the playground Ia used day
| after day by the same children. To OBJ
serve the first rule of the playground,
parent takes the child there in the morn
iur, gives it 10 cents for the lunch that the
store furnishes for that sum, and leaves it
| in the care of the nurse until well along
in the afternoon. In this way the child
is assured of IA cool place To play during
the hot days at little or no cost. for electric
fans furnish a resort-like breeze for the
little guests.
Almost as popular with the children
as the playground are the shetland ponies
of another store The small animals num-
her a score or more, and any child VINO
APPLIES may have a free ride around the
sixth of mile tanbark track on an upper
floor. -
| capacio,s merry go round, with the
inevitable organ, Is the childrens chlef
delight in still another store. When the
mother purchases a certain amount OF
goods each of her offspring is entitled to
free ride and the larger her purchase the
more rides for them.
multiplicity Of entertainments: AZ pres.
ent, besides the merry go round. band OF
thirty pieces gives morning and afternoon
concerts; organ recitals hold the attention
II -. ,.o,n raaft ny
the organist is not working coon singers
and cakewalkers. illusion experts and other
vaudeville artists are holding forth On the
stage in the theatre; which n Is capable OF
A concert hall is fixture in many O. the
: department stores, especially in the Middle
t West and the States TO the north of it. Here
the lecturer, the special exhibit man and the
: cert hall is the passion Play" AS pano-
, rama OF the ODER Ammergau interpreted
ton unrolls before the eyes, lecturer eA-
and at appropriate times young man sings
The Palms" -The Holy City, and other
/ appropriate songs. The man who con:
ceived the idea has three Passion Play
one busy filling contracts at 500 week.
The concert halls of the department.
stores of the Middle West cities are given
over extensively to female orchestras
| Men musicians are III siIldn o"uie
F. TO the almost unanimous belief among
managers that a woman violinist VIII at
r tract three customers TO man one
The pipe organ and the orchestrion are
not infrequently employed III the cthceIe
: halls or are erected in some suitable sPot
Y by the store that cannot boast hall. Eacn
is usually contracted for at prices ranging
, from $3.50 to 5000 a week, and the man who
is travelling around the country with II
sets 1t up. arranges the programmes ana
Y J;racto tho two daily concerts.
l Famous paintings prove almost as strong
drawing cards as music Almost hity
noted canvases are being exhibited III the
stores that do not own their own art col
l lections, and their owners, who paid big
3 prices for them. are making neat profits
y | on their Investments. One weiI-kno"n
, painting of ample dimensions brings IN AZ
| least 500 week. .
+ The chalk-talk man, the sand-picture
builder and the crayon-portralt arist
1 all find the department stores fertile
field of income. The worker in ., crayon
, is especially in demand. He will do A
. presents slip certifying that she has pur-
| chased SIS worth of goods He is kept
busy the six hours that he usually agrees
, to work in return for $50 week.
The income of the man whose specially
: is natural history exhibits is about the
same. He displays bis cases of butterflies:
, or bugs, or birds and birds eyes, or stuffed
small animals. in a corner OF the store.
:
talk on the habits of the creatures repre-
sented in his collect ion.
Tho specialties of the itinerant DEM
onstrators. who got all the way from 81
, to SIS week. are as varied and distinct
. as the demonstrate themselves The
remonst rat or who is always sure of draw
: ing crowd shows by example how the
man of fashion should dress at different
periods OF the day.
III first makes his appearances from
behind screen al the back OF tnc show
window all at'red for his morning cantor
along the fashionable bride path After
exhibiting himself for a few minutes, he
dives behind the screen, to reappcar in
short time in the sack suit prescribed
, for the morning walk and business
Correct dress for afternoon and evening
functions follow, and then The demonstrat"r
appears for the remainder Of the two hours
, devoted TO the demonstrate lion as work.
nGman, with overals. jumper and spade,
! and IN various picturesque cOs'tnnes
This man draws Zig salary.
} Another window demons'raLor who also
makes big money poses as fashion piai.'
on a revolving p,dc stall in such Gfcl. ss
r | manner that he keeps the crowd guessing
l ! whether he is y living being or wax ini.
;ation H. works four hours a oav, and
: remains on the pedestal fifteen minutes
7 ! AT a time.
In