New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-27
Goodly Part of Mocha
of One Of These CO
mercial Cities Is New
Seen by Wayfarer.

a foot beyond his head who missed nothing IN
his long-range observation. The nose glowed
with a supernatural redness, as if its owner had
had a prolonsed cold, and the eyes famed like
oiant hrehies as the owner turned them in this
direction and that If the rosy-nosed lad could
be multiplied thousand times and the other
had a thousand eyes. and they travelled to-
sether. they could not find out all of the daily
activities of a department store No, not IN
thousand years
I've been here twenty-nine years, grew up
with the business from boyhood. and I don't
know all about it," said department head of
one of these great market places few days
ago.
VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES HOUSED BY
A DEPARTMENT STORE.
The very catalogue of the different kinds OF
workers Is almost as long as ones arm Be
sides, the sales ladies" and floor walkers"
and messengers, who are most prominent in
the eye of the shopper there are professional
shoppers who look after the mail orders-one
store has as many as two hundred in this de-
partment alone - bookkeepers auditors-a
couple of hundred of them-csshiers, buyers,
packers, shipping clerks, chaufeurs, drivers
mechanicans, veterinary surgeons, stable and
garage men, porters, detectives, watchmen,
engineers, hremen, plumbers, electricians, car
penters, cabinet makers, rug members, cooks
bakers, candy makers walters, pianists, organ
lists. singers, moving picture operators, dancers,
models, decorators, painters, window dressers'
guides. soda water clerks, photographers,
stenographers, golf players, guides nurses,
opticians. jewellers, watchmakers, dressmakers
telephone operators, sweepers, inspectors,
statisticians, maids, printers. advertisement
writers. sign painters, laborers and school
teachers. and this does not complete the list.
The only difference between a department
store and a city OF equal population IS that in
the former there are no marriages nor giving
in marriage. no churches no cemeteries no
funerals. no hotels nor other sleeping places.
One-fourth of the force on the payroll is
engaged in doing invisible things-doing
something else than selling goods. In one
store, employing at the holiday season upward
of $500 persons. more than 300 are behind
the scenes taking care Of the merchandise and
the money which makes the merchandise
move.
nent when a human foot ceases to tread its
aisles. All through the night wstchmen pace
back and forth between the shrouded tables of
merchandise. They mark off the hours as they
make their rounds, peering into the shadows
cast by the scattered electric lights and look
ing forward to their daylight beds. At last the
light of the coming day shows gray over the
roofs of the buildings outside and gradually
robs the electric globes of their ghostly glare.
They prepare to give their charge into other
hands, and fresh shift of engineers and FIRE
men knock at the door for admission. AS the
December sun begins to show its face over the
rooftops the patient faces of the porters, day
watchmen and vocal experts who operate the
elevators to Third floor, millinery, ladies'
cloaks and furs," appear before the time re-
corder to have their arrival noted. BY 7:3o
o'clock some of the packers have forced their
way past the recording angel He IS devil Il
they are late They are soon busy with goods
left over from the night before and opening
fresh supplies that may be wanted in the
course Of the day.
A half hour later and the earlier ranks of the
mighty army of sales clerks present themselves
at the employees entrances. The great cloak
rooms. crowded with scores of long racks fur
nished with shelves and hangers for thousands
of coats and hats, begin to fill The detectives
and some Of the heads Of departments begin to
arrive. It is expected that every salesgirl and
every salesman will be at her or his post by
500 o'clock, ready TO uncover the stock and
dust it. Ten minutes later bell rings In
one store the notes Of bugle ring out in ad-
diton.
IN A CASUAL WAY BUSINESS HAS
BEGUN.
Business has begun. 1t does not begin with
a rush, however Here and there is strag-
gler. man wants button put on his shoes.
Another, having read an advertisement of re-
duction in ready-made suits, drops in to see if
he can be fitted. So it goes. In one store ten
minutes after the doors open the employees are
invited to an auditorium to take part in a
Sing For a few minutes under the leader
ship of jubilee singers, they let their voices
ring out Then for two hours such OF the mes
sengers as wish to do so 60 to school In one
store schools with teachers are provided for
instruction in the common school branches
and in such subjects as will fit for emotion.
About II o'clock the shoppers are coming in
considerable numbers. With them come the
"contingents" They are married women who
spend their mornings at home and are EN-
ployed to assist in the rush hours and willis