Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-17
Customers Will Confer
a Favor by Carrying
Home All Small Pack
ages During the Christ
mas Rush.


"Humph." said the ungracious shopper
who had Just invested In two rolls of darn
ing cotton, some veil pins and an emery
bag. Il should think you might be able
to get enough extra people to attend to
your regular trade at least
She snatched up her small parcel and
made her way, grumbling through the
press of holiday buyers. little dreaming
that in the offices. located in a balcony
over her head, the superintendent of the
store sat, haggard and tired-eyed, trying
to figure how the holiday ordeEs were to
be shipped out on time at ALL !
Three thousand extra employees had been
added gradually to his force of salespeople
packers and deilverymen since the middle
or November. the greatest influx of extras
coming IN the first of December Those
three thousand people, ranging from cash
girls and wrappers to husky deiiverymen,
draw an average salary of 81 per week
$2l,Voo In salaries alone to handle one
weeks holiday tradei
Besides the item of extra salaries which
this superintendent had to grapple with,
there We're several Thousand dollars OF
additional expenditures which he knew he
would have to meet through the careless
ness of unframed and ignorant employees
1t is so every year at Christmas time with
every big store. In the wrapping depart
ment alone the expenses are doubled, not
perfence OF new packers who use twice
the supplies more experienced helm will
need and who break articles in the same
proportion. Then there is the trade lost
through the heedlessneSs and ignorance of
extra salespeople, many of whom come in
Tor the three weeks preceding Christmas
with no idea of remaining with the firm
ana consequently no sense of responsible
~. After Christmas the complaint de-
partment of big store is fairy deuged
with walls from regular customers who
must be pacitied even at the expense of
the house.
A Big Item.
Another big item of expense is In the de-
livery department. One department stora
OF national repute has added to its regular
delivery equipment forty spick, span new
drays, twenty extra horses for night work
and 100 hundred boys who will carry by
hand special delivery packages and has
hired Tor the last week of the rush every
small express wagon upon which the head
of its delivery department could lay hands
Firms which have large suburban deliy-
cry system sometimes have their out-of-
ship all suburban delivery by express. hay-
ing an agent at the other end of the line
to make the deliveries. This means the
payment of commission, generally 10
per cent on the sales to the agent But
the wagons are more valuable in the city.
The delivery department works night and
day in two shifts. There are two sets of
horses and two shifts of men. For the last
few weeks before the holidays the delivery
schedule in the superintendent office
changes constantly. The entire city is d.
vided into districts for delivery and as
signment to different wagons and men
AS the trade grows heavier the number
of the districts is increased and their size
is decreased. For instance, district which
may include forty blocks In November will
include only twenty the week before Christ
mas In this way the work for each man
Is concentrated In small territory and
every moment is utilized in actual delivery
Of goods. and not in covering long stretches
of territory.
Bills for Supper
A holiday expense of which few shoppers
know comes to some of the more liberal
firms during the entire month of November
and part of December, and that is the sup
per bill for employees held for night work.
When departments are being changed
round and stocks readjusted for the hoIi-
day trade. clerks are kept after closing
hours to do the work. and their supper is
supplied by the drm In the restaurant at
tached to the store. or II 1t IL not a depart !
ment store. they are given supper checks on
some nearby restaurants. After the holiday |
rush IL really on. these same clerks draw
extra wages for night work. and therefore
pay for their own supper.
Extra wrappers and packers. drivers and
are really harder to obtain and |
command better salaries than saiespeople. |
The extras in the delivery department cost |
the firm big money II they abuse the horses