McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-06-23
NEW YORK
LETTER

they are certainly here, in number.
Among seven millions of people there
are many millionaires, and they can
find plenty of expensive things to buy
here. On lower Broadway the other
day | saw some glitterlng gowns dis
played in the great windows of fa-
nous store. They seemed to be hung
with finely polished metal strips, with
different rainbow-colors on them.
Then there was a cloak of Russian
black fox fur, with the price of fifty
thousand dollars marked on it. |
find, however, that really good clothes
are no more expensive here than in
other places, and that the famous
places of business are extremely care
full to satisfy the customers.
My watch needed cleaning, and /
took it to John Wanamaker's. That
was store worth seeing. There are
many different departments, and per-
haps five times as many clerks in that
one place of business as there are
people i'll Selmer. AS | walked into
a rear entrance from the subway |
went through department after de-
partment till | reached the grand en-
trance on Ninth street, where an
enormous man of color, with the
grace and the elegant accent CT a
senator, told me how to find the
watch department: go across the
street to the other part Of the store,
etc. The man looked like a
very handsome negro, but he said he
was an East Indian. | suspected that
Charleston, South Carolina, was as
near as he had been to the East In
dies. He was in uniform, had a voice
like bass drum, and was at least 6
feet 6. He had a brother in the 9TH
er store that looked like his twin.
The two niggers perhaps get almost
as much as congressman.
Most of the clerks seemed to be
women, all dressed in dark uniforms,
and all as polite and nice as could
be. After passing through the fine
goods, book and stationary depart
ments, came to the watch section,
handed over my ticker and got a
cheap one to carry. with Wanamaker's
name engraved in big letters, till
mine was repaired, which took ten
days. Two dollars and a half was
the price. only for cleaning, but when
| got it back it was like new watch.
| told the manager Of that floor, a
nice-looking man of about 80, that |
wanted some information about the
store, for use in an article for the
McNairy, Tennessee, Independent, for
the benefit of the readers, and not
necessarily to advertise the store.
He said | should 60 up to Mr.. So and
So on the 10th floor, who would give
me a full history, but told him !
would take what he had to say. Then
he proceeded to tell me the following
interesting particulars:
John Wanamaksr makes his home
in Philadelphia. It was there that
he made his start in business, but
his New York branch is rapidly out
growing other side stores. The man
ager here gets $4,000 a year, and
there are a number Of buyers for the
store who receive $4,000 to 500, 900
year for their services. Some of
these are women, and their judgement
as to styles and qualities is Of great
value to the business. The lowest-paid
employees are the messenger and cash
boys who receive $3.50 to $500 a
week. There is system Of promo
tions which raises the salaries of
these lower grades as they show
their ability to do the work better.
There is also a sick fund to which all
contribute who so desire, and the
sick ones are thus cared for while
laid up; and there is also a fund for
burying the dead.
There are forty-fve acres of floor
space in the Wanamaker store, which
covers parts of two blocks from
Eighth to Tenth streets. Down un-
der Ninth street it is all store, and
busy crowds circulate there and buy
their choice of goods. regardless Of
the multitudes of people and throngs
of automobiles passing over theil
heads on the street above. The bust.
ness moves on like a mighty river
with little noise but great power. and
it is q tribute to the strength and ma
jesty of q good name, which, while