New-York tribune., 1908-06-09
COLLEGE GIRLS IN STOKES.
Womankinds Natural Advantages as Buy
ers-Iarpe Salaries for Special Ability.

ers-Large Salaries for Special holity'
11-ouos,e1, co1tepe aIumna who has been study
;,y the ouestion of what opportunities the large
department stores may have Tor cohese si -
now that the ranks of teaching are 81 o'''t
gives as the result of her Investigations the sus
re.tion that the work from many points oi '0 "
well worth while To quote from her rePoi'-
when the college girl chooses Voca.ioi o'l.
than teaching she, more often imam ~ -,
chooses with the blindness OF the pioneer Many
new lines possb biIities yet fully deVelopeu nave
been at least explored by non-colleg1ate woman
kind The department store is one OF these. rroti
interviews with the women pioneers anu WIZ" ~
ployers something has been learned OF what a
college girl who chooses the department. 80 I
field might hope 10 WIN anu N"'' - 'o
her by the way.
1.-The organization of responsibility IN large uis
goods store may be classified under iouI ee
heads-buying, store management. advertising an
records Probably the most important element vi
,narcsnt,Ia success is careful, discriminate buying
for with to-day's keen competition the most st
tractive displays and the most eHectiVe vi e
forces cannot sell goods unless they are "ofth 'i.
money unless they are as well designed ana wen
made as are to be found. The most iespolS''i'
,ositions hold bv women the positions OF DuS-
ers Women have natural adaVhtae0 lo' 'ih9
kind of work in their instructive sense OF StSle'
color vaIue and good form. Furthermore, the bulk
of denartment store merchandise is made for Wohl-
en- and bought by women, who not only 90 '"e'l
own shopping but the household purchasing a7
well. Naturally woman understands the ndo'''
of thought tendencies, and especially the vuinera-
BILE points of her own better than man may
ever hone to- and ought to be able to eater 10 ther
uants more successfully. More than th1s they
have a temperamentaI resourcefuness IN deVls'hs
little expedents and improvements which men may
gain only by much effort
'The women who have developed. in addition TO
their hereditary capacity for knowing good styles
that combination Of qualities which is called trd"
ing instinct have advantage over men
buvers and are holding the important POSITIONS 10
day The trading instinct is not hagging' nut
knowledge how and where TO get at lowest prices
and I'm the best quality the things the pubic IS
going to want 1t consists also In estaoIShihs
reputation for knowing ones line, for meaning "hdt
one saws and for straightforward business dealis7'
I'm the cases of the twenty-three women buyers
from, whom, MANY interesting and suggestive facts
were gained it found that every one haa
uorked her way up apparently without any pun ,
through sheer effort and Individual ability. over
half the number began to work as cash or bundle
girls at sixteen years OF age or under only
eleven of these women had attended high school
and of the other twelve two did not finish the
grammar school course. In spite OF ther youth
those who began cash girls were almost at once
promoted to selling. but the next interval before
pronotfon to head of stock to assistant buyer
varied from six months to ten years In the matter
of training ten began TO work in some shop' eiher
out in the country or in small town. WheIe theS
received the close supervision of the head men, and
where they also had the advantage of taking part
In the running of store small enough to permit
them to understand and to perceive the necessltes
of the business in way which the cash glrl-an
insignificant cog IN tremendous systern-can
seldom realize
These women buyers, by virtue of having risen
to their present important positions many without
the advantages of a thorough education, must
manifestIy be women of unusual ability Of genius
in their line.
They suggest question as to whether many
women of lesser talent. but with the advantage Of
better early training and education, could not win
the high positions besides these few pioneers Col
Iege education has yet received general recog
rtion a practical, helpful training for business
life For this reason large business firms un-
willing TO make any better offer to college
graduate than they to any other girl. She
must realize that far business experience |
goes she has merely lost the four years spent in
college. years which another girl will have spent |
in the store learning the system and accustOming
herself to business methods. punctuaty. accuracy.
etc. and that, therefore. the non-college girl is !
actually four years aha1d Of her. IL is for the !
college girl prove the value of her college in :
vestment by going In four years late. but with |
the added training and mental acumeu which shall |
enable her to catch up and IN the first dec
ade. Not every college girl do this however. |
any more than all non-college girls can. 1t is |
not matter of the college HOn-College; il is a !
question of individual energy and enthusiasm. But |
al! other things being equal given a college grad !
uate with practical head and ready understand |
ing, with no tendency cOuCeit her four !
academic years, it would that she ought to |
prove the value of her training in logical thinking
in fair mindedness. in efficient dealing with people
and this in reasonably few years.
'Since woman has broken into these lines of wage
earning so recently and has made such splendid |
success of 1.-THE maximum amount paid to head
buyers in the cases investigated is $4,000. the
minimum amount s0,Ooo-we certainly feel with
out making any concrete prophecies for the future
that her development in these lines is progressing
surely and rapidly. and that the work from many
points of view is well worthwhile