The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-27
That HELP
SELL THE GOODS
y Wny and Wherefore OF some
pGhods In Vogue IN tlsc Large
M Ss0red

Why ana wherefore OF some
pohods In vogue IN tfsc Large
4 Saorek
n3fkA many young men whose
&era are engaged In the retail dry
a7ai businesk, Frank Y. Tyler did
4 ~ lsnrhor a desire to become a law
In ~ doctor. or priest Neither did ne
Z, lslt to becouae--to make use OF an
ESS26 rhv,ne---a poor man, beggar man.
d t,sief. From the start his desire
1E;2;'sI u ", - ! merchant and rich man.
- when he went TO college 10
s&6und ont his education. he mentaliy
800 M everything that was onered
Y mere In the way of commercial m
'I1ffuction. In addition to this, ne
I aoert hours studying up-to-da'e ousi
&ess methods In the efficiency sltu
trade magazines that other young te'-
fuaa were passing on the ball held or
1sysr t},e billiard table. The result was
xfsaf nv the time he was graduated ne
And accumulated g. lot Of sound IN
1axmetiou about business. and plenty
~ theory as well.
when no got back home end talked
49, future over with his father the
aader man could not trip him up on
1ncfa. but when IL came TO theories
N1aA story was different For instance,
- = walk through the busy store OF
Myfer a. Williams one day the young
e,ssn asserted that the aisle tables
oreht to be done away with
~why9" asked his father.
+sRecause they are out Of date, was
ne reply. They block up the alsies,
- unsishtly. the goods get rnuasea
- sffy. and the opportunity Tor theit
- aiways present when there Is
crowd around one of them.
Lets take those points up one az
II time" said the merchant us.
~ All, the tables you complain en0u'
- Nor nut in the &Isles wi!ly-niilS y,
~ lot OF persons seem 10 INNS ~
. well-planned store. such as THIS one
n. they are just as much considered
IN the scheme of fixtures as the couA'
Fnrs ard tire merchandise racks
80 .s7~hev NAV be unsiEhtly after n ioF
~ -rnrnen hare heen uulling over ara
Aand,ing the goods, but II is the klna
~ ursirht1iresx that adds materially
", ,he profits of tho store. The goo1S
A get unused easily. and we have 10
rake 1 loss annually on n'ark-downs
made necessary ny this mussing- 9
naso take a loss on theffs OF tapie
Foods. hut, while 1t is naturally marc
TO compute, IL IL ttaF'a4 ava N'N'f
sCn TO the business done.
.sSow. tho chief reason for using
sisse tables is this. a great many OF
Ne sales of The modern department.
.tnre are what we csil sight or I'M
s,,.,se. sales stuff that women may nov
kannen 10 have I'm mind when 1heE
nrsfer the store. but which Appeals 10
ft.rir desires when they see II dls
n. sd The fivnlav of this kind Of
ss,,rrchanaise on tables IS valuanie
{ -. s.se-e-as are similar aas~
$40. an the counters. While women
sre NATURALLY inqnisitive. they are nov
Snsng 10 take the trouble TO ASK Sstei ~
~ oren boxes and unroil bolts OF .io,l'
- they can sce what the SUI. u
You've got to pitt it right uhoer Inei'
moses. .,, to
4hrsr a,svertisfny value. Put some 1u-
si,.ga,,a1v selected handbags, for IN
~ta~re on an aisle table at asffacuVs
.,,.scas and they Will NOT only sell, put
tr,ay viii awaken q desire on the part
~ me,v women TO sne what We are
! rsye~tng in that department In resu
- 80. selling from aisle tables III
~xartiv like selling directly from
@rnail show window.
.syr fart. the aisle tables combine
B tfe virtues Of newspaper advertising !,
with those Of the show w1noo"' VIE
4 4f,e added virtue OF rroviaing p't ~
.nf, ,rr,u,efiate sales. While tho actua
s.,ercartaee Of aaIes from these tables
II nroportfon to the stores gross an
n,sas husfrers In not big, the yearly re-
f1,rns from a we'll placed table N any
! large ur-to-date store VIII douotless
nrnvs TO be a great deal more than
any ono outside Of the busip ess wouin
expect.'' $780,,
.sTsut how about the clerks in charge
- fy,ArYi sss s,sIaried a4Tse son. III my
1nenory serves nae right. have reaa
] that novices are broken IN AT mem
although II doesn't seem right TO me
.syou can bet your bottom doliar
that Il not only does not seem r1ght'
] but 1t is not right was the response
ssYo., need a mighty good girl to
s<nn6ie = table crowded with women
80 are all anxious to be waited on
once. Only recently one Of our
I0r1s turned IN over $50 sales In q
1 s1ns1a day from a table. Where would
u nnx4ce get off n n -rush- like thatZ"
The younger man was visihiy I'M.
5000 hut. on seeing a so-called
Hporwaaker near. he was off again.
ssThere's another thing. Dad" he
~ sWhy can't we do away With
1o0rWulkers and save puhcn "a
EAeneye Why CART we have the DE-
sknrtnsnts clearly designated In some
S1voy. md complete merchandise list.
noGked at various accessible parts OF
kkA etnro7 why can't sone clerk IN
nacf DEPARTING emit be trained to DO the
0nor mans other work."
aBecause II would be mighty poor
wanfsaxton, for one thing" replied
~ merchant Directing customers
Ax4ous departments and answering
- simple questions make mp only a
- small part OF the modern floor
1Ioseu work, Not only must be DO
80 fhings. but he must maintain
ndnllue IN the sections allotted to
n ana expedite service He must
appealed to In a dozen Inherent
Sn1 not the ieeEt Of which are In
iil2mnces concerning Tho crediting OF re-
Il aaed goods, exchanges and unusual
soel.anefU of one kind or another.
d 6Ihe door man IL not a trimming II
~os, doubt this, look around and gee
~ many super.ntendents and other
E higher up" have advanced TO
positions from the floor, and
ask why they were advanced. Tho
Es .se- = Hcn- man 81 tAaS- mora ~erA
4tssa responsi btlity he viii take from
Ms euperiorz, and tire more he aids
II $780, ~ - &f~ greater hts own chances