Evening journal., 1913-02-14
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How a Famous Merchant
Built Up his Trade
By Holland.

The late Hugh o'Nenl Of New York
city, who built up from very small
beginnings one of the largest of
American department stores, and
who had at his death an estate of
some FIVE million dollars, was accus-
toned TO spend an hour or two in the
morning, unless imperative business
prevented. like time in the afternoon,
in wandering up and down the aisles
of his store.
I met him one morning when he
was thus engaged and he invited mt
TO take a stroll around his store with
him. Probably not one person In
hundred who saw this quiet-manner-
cd, gray-haired man strolling up and
down the aisles recognized him as the
proprietor or identified him as one
Of the greatest American merchants.
But / observed that while carrying
on a running conversation with me
his eyes took IN by swift glances
everything that came within their
vision He was especially watchful
Of the clerks, sometimes stopping for
a moment or two at a place where he
could see what some of the more dis
tant clerks we're doing, although they
were unconscious that he was look
ing at them.
He was particularly attentive to
customers who seemed TO be perplex-
ed as to where 10 go to find the arti-
cles they wanted 10 look at. He paid
ntf m
and many who did not know him
were indebted to the courtesy Of this
inconspicuous man for getting exact
" what they wanted, and without
waste Of time.
After we had thus strolled for an
hour or so / went with Mr. ONeill TO
his office. He said: "It takes of
course a sgreat deal Of constructive
and organizing faculty 10 build up q
large retail business, but when It lie
once built up II becomes, probably,
the most satisfactory Of all forms of
trade. Success however, entails
something in addition. To be very
successful the retail merchant must
be great salesman.
Now l will illustrate what I am
saying to you by an anecdote of Mar,
shall Field. In my opinion Marshall
Field, the head of the great Chicago
house which bears his name, is the
ablest and greatest salesman this
country has ever known. He pos
sesses extraordinary constructive and
organizing powers, but I am satisfied
that these would not have enabled
him to build up what I believe to be
/ the greatest retail house in the
United States unless he we're also a
very great salesman.
IN. Field is not only a natural
born salesman, but he has studied the
science, for he regards 1t as sci
ence. He used TO say that It taught
J the various phases of human nature
and that a great salesman was quail
fed to become a great diplomatist.
Now for my illustration. One dal
Mr.. Field was walking through thu
main aisles Of his store when he saw
woman who was evidently In SOM
distress. He topped her and askel
her what the matter was. She though
he was an employe of the store,
sort Of head clerk, not knowing hin
by sight, and she said that the da.
before she had bought a piece o
J goods and after getting home sh
found It was not what she wanted
She brought 1t back In the hope tha
the clerk would take il back and le
her have something else in its place
"She said 20 Mr. Field that tn
clerk acted as though she had almos
insulted him, so astonished was b
at her request, whereupon Mr.. Fiel
said. Come with me- she ied MIN I
the counter, and in a few brief word
he told the clerk to give the custome
what she wanted in exchange for I'll
article she had bought the day be
fore He turned away, but st D.
a moment and said. If you can't gs
what you want you shall have you
. money back
5 THAT" said Mr.. o'Neill to M
= was the beginning of a policy no
o universally adopted, at least by II
great stores. For at that time sue
= a thing as an exchange OF a purchai
= cd article was unheard Of.
n "In q short time il became know
that a dissatisfied customer could Q.
= change the articles for anything el,
+ ia the store OF equal value. or cou
Il even get the money back. That thiT
Of itself greatly increased Mr.. Field
\ trade. Other shopkeepers recognize
k what he had done and speedily 70
y lowed his example with most graf
fying results. No one but gre
= salesman would have thought
It that
p Copyright. 1913. by +. J Edward
IS All rights reserved)
20 Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will q
k "Why Roscoe Conkling Declined q
4 %