The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1906-11-29

oh, Williams, you mean, an.
swered the merchant" well, I'll
tell you. Williams was a>good man for
a long time, but after a while he began
to show up late in the mornings and
want to take afternoons off too often.
After I'd had him a year or two and
put him forward a little, you know
he was up with me a couple of times
to help buy the goods from you-he
began to feel his oats and | finally had
to let him go. That's one trouble I've
often had. Treat a man right and
then have him get toppy. This fellow
Williams came pretty hear running all
the clerks l had at that time. He got
them nearly all so that they wanted to
do the same things that he did. l
raised my bristles n Saturday night
and told all of my mel that they
would have to get dow at half past
seven and that each man must sweep
his department. l said to them, Boys,
I'll be here with you myself at that
time and l will sweep out the office
that's my department.
Williams rather mumbled some
thing about not wanting to sweep out
which gave me just the chance l was
looking for and l let him have his
walking papers right there. Since that
time l have had better discipline in
my store
ITS, easy enough for you to have
discipline in your store" remarked
Watkins, the travelling man, land it is
easy enough for you to have your
clerks take an interest in your bust
ness, but it is a different problem
when 1t to running a large re-
tail establishment.
Takes Interest in Employees.
"I know of two heads OF large retail
houses that get more out Of their
clerks, l believe, than any two CON
Germs on earth. They got at it in en-
tirely different ways. There is a large
retail dry goods house which has at
its head one of the best men breath
ing. In the first place, this firm car
ries reputable merchandise. The old
gentleman who is at the head of the
sales department does not stay shut
up in a little office, but spends most
of the time on the floor. He is a dig
nifed old gentleman, but he's not one
of those proud old fellows who is al
ways sticking his thumbs under his
arms, frowning, as though saying:
Look at me; I'm the boss
"This man has organized in his own
store what you might call a salesman's
college, of which he himself is the
president. The professors in this col
ilege are the heads of the departments,
The students are the clerks. The old
gentleman turns the dining-room of
this department store into a lecture
hall. Everyone in his employ spends
one hour EACH week, or longer If the
discussion becomes interesting, in
study. The head Of a certain depart
ment will call together all Of those
under him and he himself will either
make a talk to them, have some one
else do so, or else call upon II or
more Of the clerks themselves to dis
cuss a certain point. On the evening
= of this school session, the firm gives
to each employe 30 cents in supper
money. They go out after the store
closes and return promptly at seven
duu Il tlSnL, ~ lltS nlpiis lhCs oIN
free. The old gentleman himself does
not attend all of these sessions, but,
like those who are under him, he gives
one hour each week to this work,
One week he will give an hour to the
dress goods department, another to
notions, etc. The clerks of this estab'
lishment have become in this way SO
well drilled that anyone who has
worked for this firm for a year OF
more can easily find a position in any
other store in the city; but one who is
employed by this firm seldom leaves
IL except to take some position higher
Getting Good Work.
This man gets good work out OF
his clerks by taking a personal inter
est in them. He is very k~ind-hearted
too. Many a time, SO one of his men
once told me. if a rainstorm came up
suddenly as one Of his salesladies was
starting out without an umbrella, the
old gentleman would take one out OF
stock and make her a present of it.
"The head of the other store OF
which / speak goes at getting good
work out of the clerks in this way
He figures that II you drop n penny
Into a mans purse, he will try himself
to put another in. He pays his clerks
small salaries and then gives to each
one a commission upon sales. This
idea came to that man several years
age. He first tried it in the silk de
partment. That store to-day does the
best silk business in It's city, which is
a metropolitan one. 1t does not stand
exactly as the leading store there, but
II has the leading business in silks
One young woman. on the day before
Christmas, last year. made commits
sions amounting, that day alone. tC
over. SIS.
II want L tell you, gentlemen. that
the one way for a clerk to deal with Z
customer is the fair, square, straight