The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-10-18

A-AN 40 1CAn6 a AAA6uAy bAASAAt A@AAO"
"Oh. Williams. you mean. an
swered the merchant" We'll, I'll
tell you, Williams was a good man for
a long time. but after while he began
10 show up late in the mornings and
want . take afternoons off too often.
After I'd had him year or two and
put him forward a little. you know
he was up with me couple Of times
to help buy the goods from you-he
began to feel his oats and l 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 near running all
the clerks had at that time. He got
them nearly all so that they wanted to
do the same things that he did. /
raised my bristles one Saturday night
and told all of my men that they
would have to get down at half past
seven and that each man must sweep
his department. j said to them, Boys,
I'll be here with you myself at that
time and | 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 ! was
looking for and / let him have his
walking papers right there. Since that
time ! have had better discipline in
my store"
Its easy enough for you to have
discipline in your store remarked
Watkins, the travelling man, "ard 1t is
easy enough for you to have your
clerks take an interest in your busi-
ness, but 1t is a different problem
when 1t comes to running a large re-
tail establishment.
Takes Interest In Employees.
'T know of two heads OF large retail
houses that get more out Of their
clerks, / believe, than any two con-
Germs on earth. They got at 1t In en-
tirely different ways. There is 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 salesman's
college, Of which he himself is the
president. The professors in this col
lege are the heads of the departments
The students are the clerks. The ole
gentleman turns the dining-room ol
this department store into a lecture
hall. Everyone in his employ spends
one hour each week, or longer II 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 eithel
make a talk TO them, have some one
else do so, or else call upon one oI
more OF the clerks themselves to dis
cuss a certain point. On the evening
of this school session, the firm gives
to each employe so cents In supper
money. They go out after the store
closes and return promptly at sever
and at eight. If they wish, they arr
free. The old gentleman himself doe
not attend all of these sessions, but
like those who are under him. he give
one hour each week to this work
One week he win give an hour to thu
dress goods department, another t
notions, etc. The clerks of this estah
lishment have become in this way 81
well drilled that anyone who ha
worked for this firm for a year o
more can easily find a position in an.
other store in the city; but one who 4
employed by this firm seldom leave
IT except to take some position higher
Getting Good Work.
This man gets good work out o
his clerks by taking personal inter
est in them. He is very kind-hearted
too. Many time, so one Of his mel
OuCc lUtu iucs IL a ldAuc1oin CdAuc VI
suddenly as one of his salesladies wa
starting out without an umbrella, tn
old gentleman would take one out O
stock and make her a present Of It.
"The head Of the other store o
which / speak goes at getting goo
work out of the clerks In this way
He figures that If you drop one penn.
into a mans purse. he win try himsel
to put another in. He pays his clerk
small salaries and then gives to eacl
one a commission upon sales. Thi
idea came to that man several year
ago. He first tried It in the silk de
partment. That store to-day does tn
best silk business in its city, which 1
metropolitan one. 1t does not stan
exactly as the leading store there, bu
It has the leading business in silks
One young woman. on the day befor
Christmas. last year. made commits
sions amounting. that day alone. +
over. SIS.
Il want to tell you. gentlemen, tina
the one way for a clerk to deal with
customer is the fair. square. straigh
way. Whenever a clerk is workin