The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-06-23
By w. @. Shepherd.

: r. A. Filene and A. L. Filene
brothers, heads of the store, have
until now prevented descriptions
OF the store being published.
1T sounds foolish and the pub
lie won't believe It," they said.
But i prevailed upon them al
last, and T. X. Cory, the store
manager, who really knows more
about the details of the great
lstore than anybody else, spent 9
whole day showing me through.
AS l went into Cory's office a
pretty girl came out, accompanied
by a man.
That GIRL" explained the man
, lager, lis shoplifter. We've
caught her twice. She confesses
We've placed her on probation
She's only a customer, but every
Friday morning she will report ia
the head of the protection depart
ment. OF course we haven't any
right to do this. But it's better
than arresting her. There's a
chance to save her."
| Does this sound pretty fishy to
you?
Manager Cory called in pretty
little girl.
Hello" she said sweetIy to him
ito him-the mighty store man
Iager!"
Hello" he said right back, just
like that.
What did you and your mother
lose In the Chelsea fire."
1 IL
shoes were burned. II you hadn't
sent me some clothes and shoes /
couldn't have come to work"
Ibid the girls in the store help
you any?"
Help us? Why, they gave my
mother and me a duplicate, bet
ter than we had before, of almost
everything we lost"
1 THAT shows how the store peo-
pie stick together" he explained.
He pointed out young man.
] THAT young fellow is going tc
Harvard, He comes here in odd
hours. We're paying his way.
When he gets through he'll sign
a contract to work for us for two
years. Well send any young man
to Harvard and pay his way, If
he'll agree to work for us for two
years, on salary, of course, start
ing at the bottom. We're looking
for men,"
Il don't know whether I'm a
good business man or not" said
Mr.. Cory, but / do know that the
old story about a floorwalker say
ling to a low-salaried girl, Well,
haven't you got any gentleman
friends? can't be true of this
store.
Were all family here. After
a girl has worked for us for "a
hours she's our girl. Well take
care of her; she can't suffer.
That's the Filene principle.
why, right In this very office
/ have arranged for the weddings
of five girls in the last six years.
They were weddings that were
necessary. I had the young men
right In here" and Mr.. Cory look
ed pretty grim. Through Miss
Kaiser, head of our girls club, the
girls understand that they can
bring their troubles to u.s."
He told many other stories.
They showed helpfulness, and the
firm was always ready with mon
ey where 1t would help an employee
in trouble.
ut costs, doesn't it?" asked.
How do you get your money
back?"
cts easy" said Mr.. Corey. with
q smile. This store is human
machine. Kindnss is the oil that
keeps the parts working together.
The more easily the parts work the
better the machine runs, and the
better 1t runs the more business
we do. Most of our girls are
Smiling, nearly all of the time. /
think that many women come to
the store Just to get in the smile
"What do you pay the girls?"
Mr.. Cory sent for an armful of
Envelopes.
Each envelope represented diff
lferent employee, and showed that
|employe's standing and wages.
One girl was marked In the "$e-
|a-week" class. She got from $40
Ito $13. A $7-a-week girl aver.
jagged $40; "s3 girl" got $685. a
week; another "$7 girl" got SIS
1.-THE week before, and $18.29 the
week before that.
Each girl gets 3 per cent of all
Ishe sells, over certain quota"
Explained Mr.. Cory. 1--WE call that
|profit-sharing"
1.-THE average wages of our 900
girls last year was $6.S7 a week"
/ Mr.. Cory took me through the
store. l saw how It was run by
heart"
Hello" the girls said. sweetly
|and familiarity, to him.
"Hello," he answered. Every
girl was ready to chat; and so was
MIR. Cory.
what do you think, ! lost my
purse and $15," said one young
lady to him, smilingly.
when does your vacation
I'm August
well. you know you might
make touch on me. If the loss
will spoil your vacation" said
Mr.. Cory. What do you think OIL
this In q department stere7
mo, no." said the xtrl quickly.
II didn't mean that. Why I've
got money IN our society bank 4
Just thought ia tell you. The
purse was given me by . friend /"
and she showed an ensasementI
ring.
incidentally. there Is over $24,-
900 in the society bank. deposited
by 400 employees.
tits half being able to mix
with them," explained Cory.
As he went through the great
store he knew all about every girl
! pointed out: He knew their fam