New-York tribune., 1911-11-26
CHAPTER V.


Did YOU ever think OF the department
stores as among the biggest educational in
stitutions in the land-business colleges, II
YOU will-where hundreds OF young women
every year receive as thorough and pracu-
cal a training as they could possibly get
anywhere? Whether OF not the young
woman who enters this training school re-
mains behind the counter or IN the STOCK
room, at IS or s. week, or takes advantage
OF this education and rises to position OF
from 1900 10 $4,000 year all depends 10 n
rreat extent on nor own ability and pu:-
pose.
This is how New York department store
authority. who has personally employed
some eight thousand women within the last
few years. stated the case;
1T is so unusual for a woman OF real
ability 10 come 10 US With the dehnite ana
avoved purpose OF making onr interests
her interests. and goinG into the work tooth
and. nail that when a woman does snow
such purpose her career is bound TO be
spectacular. That is II YOU call rising from
an annual income OF ,ess than $500 10 any
WHARF from 5000 TO $500 in ten to fifteen
years spectacular
/
become department store worker, make
sure she Is in dead earnest TO succeed. IN
deciding about the store remember that In
the big stores Hes the greatest chance Tor
advancement. Dozens Of young women are
applying every day for positions. and there
is usually representative of the firm
whose sole duty II is 10 look after the en-
ployment and the placing Of employees. The
new applicants are usually required to fill
out blank form giving few facts about
previous employment, age health, marital
condition. and whether or not any one is
depending on the applicant for support. 1t
is significant that these blanks make no IN
ouiries as TO schooling.
The successful department store woman
is always we'll educated" explained one OF
their number. but Il is the kind OF educa-
tion we get behind the counter, In the stock
room and from watching and studying GUS
toners"
The blank. when it is properly filled,
must be submitted in person by the appll-
cant 10 the manager. who, in most cases.
has a rather remarkable power OF sizing up
girls II the girl is young good deal de-
pends on size. girl Of fifteen or sixteen
n she is small generally starts In as a
messenger girl or wrapper at 81 or 81 30 a
week II she is larger. however and looks
more womanly. she may start in at s. or
even s 80 behind a counter, or 10 care for
stock IN the cloak and suit department. II,
in the opinion Of the employer. she Is not
cut out for saleswoman but is fairly In
teingent she Is put AT work in the stock
room az from - To s. a week.
Here is the story Of young woman who
fifteen years ago applied for position in a
large New York department store. She
vas fifteen years old and had been through
grammar school. but because she was de-
cidedly undersized and bad what her en-
ployer took TO be an Insignificant appear
ance, she was put In the stock room Of the
mail order department where from $50 to
every day at 81 a week she had TO make
herself useful I'm handling the mail order
stock which. in this as In other depart
ment stores, is quite separate from the reg
ulaT stock. Her hours were long, but her
work did not fll all her time, and rather
than stand idle she used TO use her spare
minutes helping the dozen girls who got
the folders and catalogues I'm envelopes to
he sent TO out-of-town customers.
Each OF these girls had seven piles IN
front OF her, and II was each ones duty 10
insert one folder or booklet from each pile
in each envelope. The girls talked at their
work, and naturally enough often missed
one OF the folders These mistakes were
thrown out by the inspector at the end Of
the line before the envelopes were sealed.
the loss Of energy being put down 10 part
Of the necessary waste
Noting this waste OF effort as she worked,
tho clever little stock girl set about finding
q way TO avoid II. Why not she thought,
have seven girls In the line each with only
one sort of folder before her? Then have
the girl at the beginning Of the line put the
first folder in the envelope, pass IL TO the
second girl. who should put in the second
and so on down the line In this way
there could never be mistake; there would
not even be any need for an inspector at
tie end OF the line, and so time and labor
would be saved.
The manager of the department immedi-
ately put this plan in operation when II
was outlined 10 him, and after that he Kept
close watch on the bright little stock girl.
Her daily work justified his watchfulness'
and whenever there was an opening the
girl was pushed ahead. To-day the young
woman who began at a weekly wage OF ~
is receiving a yearly salary OF 1900 as the
manager OF the mail order department.
But the great opportunities in the de-