Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-03
WHERE CLERKS ARE TRAINED
Boston Takes an Educational New
Department Which ia Pro-
uouuced n Good Thing.

Schools where clerks in stores ana those
aspiring for such positions may be taught
how to wait on customers and to fathom
human nature are among the latest edu-
cational schemes. Graduates from these
institutions are able to step into actual
sales work in department and other stores
without having TO serve an apprenticeship
as cash girl, bundle girl, etc
Boston is said to be the city where the
selling trade was first taught, the schools
being an outcome of the welfare work
carried on among the employees of the re-
tail drygoods houses there. But the plan
is being adopted elsewhere and is meet
ing with as much success as in the New
England city.
I'm Boston both day and night classes
are held" said a New York merchant
Those patronizing the day classes are
generally boys and girls IA years old and
up, who want to obtain positions in retail
stores, while the students in the evening
| classes are the clerks who are already
| employed These latter take the course
| so that they may rise in their departments
sooner than If left to their own devices
and the uncertain task of learning the
business from those directly over them.
THE younger pupils are taught SPELL
| ing, penmanship and arithmetic. while the
+ older ones receive instruction in human
nature through lectures on Psychology A
! knowledge Of how to deal with each one
! of the many kinds of customers with which
clerk comes in contact in a single day
is an invaluable asset in his or her expert
ence.
''rhe time when a girl unable to do any
| thing else can obtain a position in a dry
goods store is a thing of the past. Mer-
chants want trained clerks now, we'll
dressed, we'll appearing, refined and cul-
tured, and those where such are found
| get the best trade and the most of IT. Per
sons who come in contact with the public
in these modern days must be intelligent
and tactful whether It is in a store or
in public business. In their efforts to OBJ
tain these trained workers large stores
are paying higher salaries.
Sometimes clerks are born but the ma
jority OF them have to serve an appren-
ticeship before they are capable of going
behind a counter and coming in contact
with the kinds of persons who patronize
large establishment. The need for a
knowledge OF arithmetic spelling and
penmanship is greater nowadays, when
each sale requires such a number of en-
tries on different slips, than it used to
be when the system in vogue for handling
money and making a record OF the sales
even in the large stores were simpler.
but IL is the human nature study that
counts most. There are different ways OF
treating different persons. A successful
| salesman on the road knows that, and
usually owes much OF his successful sell
ing to his knowledge OF how to approach
customers. Ignorance of their disposition,
and characteristics would mean failure fol
him many times. Such knowledge comes
, largely through training, which is nothing
more than experience.
1T Is the same way with the clerk
The display of a little impotence Of
irritability at the indecision of a Gus
toner will send the latter away withou
her making a purchase, so Disguised will
that store that she will not go there again
: But most important of all is II for
clerk to be tactful, courteous and such
, good student OF men and women that n
l will know when a few words adroitl
spoken In praise of an article he is selin
; are proper and when to maintain silence
sale Is often made IL the clerk doe
not appear too anxious to force the articl
on the customer. when a continual refer
ence to the good qualities OF II would sen
an intending purchaser away. These point
> are what every clerk should know u
tuitively, and such intuition comes fro
experience or training New York TT
o bune.