The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-02-20
HUMAN NATURE
TEST AT COUNTER
What Dominates in Indi-
yidual Shown by Con-
duct There
SOME SHOPPING NUTS
Girls Behind Counter Tell of
Pests That Try Their Pa
ucnce and Disposition

Tr,.e was an old man who used
,o live iu Wellington, Kan who
is still quoted by the people who
..,e nim. II words ot praise were
.rs.,u boo his presence about any
.., D.. would listen patiently UNI
tI ,n. end. then cock his eye spec
,...trv and ask, Ever live
y vm.h crucial experience is
..kn.Nledged to be the acid test
li. might have added Ever sell
..g,H.ne TOM"
Tor IL is when IA man or woman
.. doing business across the counter
.Hat the guard is down, and they
arc most truly themselves.
Last week number Of sales
uou,u iu some Of Tulst's busi-
r..- houses were asked what has
To,,d to them to be- the most au-
moving trait in customers.
"Nut talking" very promptly re-
urr,l one sweet faced girl at a
rnffUu counter. Things really
dom. rufflc me very much. but /
do Ike TO know what people want,
So inat / can serve them. Some
rgruIo come here. ask for a GER
,,Ir article. and then when ] show
r tp them. they Just look. Just
= stand there and look, and II | ask
II that's what they want. they don't
answer IT they would only say
whether they like IT.. or whether
IFS too expensive, or not expensive
enough. then ia know what To- show
them hcXt, and could make better
sales perhaps, as well as pleasing
,hcW.'
Tho girl at The hose counter finds
s, hardest to deal with people whose
ucs,ttug shopping sin is not know
Ing what they want.
u ask them she said, do you
want to see something In very
good stocking, or less expensive?
And they don't know but want to
see both They don't know whether
they want black or white, but want
10 see both. really don't mind
that If there Is plenty OF time. but
!, is hard II I am rushed and there
are other customers waiting. They
naturally grow impatient II they
have to stand there a long time and
wait
The customer who knows It all
and thinks the salcswoman knows
very small per cent. II anything,
II the dread OF good many girls.
The woman who Is skeptiCal OF
everything that the salesgirl says,
and who plainly shows that she has
no confidence In her. IL not only
discomforting, but she makes II hard
for the girl to serve her at her
best ON the other hand. there
is the woman whose smiles OF greet
ing. whose pleasant words while
she is shopping, whose courteous
listening to the answers Of ques-
tons she has asked, brings out the
best there is In a salesw man, and
who leaves the girl feeling, when
She has gone, that friend has just
passed by.
The shopper who shops for long
minutes over bolts of silks, mean
while chatting with a friend. while
other customers at the crowded
counter wait impatiently, and the
strain Of being compelled to wait
inactive while there are so many
others Clamoring TO be- waited on
is another visitor whose calls hold
moments OF dread for the sales
woman. Too many times ships of
material for samples are all that
70 away with inem Wn'n tntN are
through handling the silks, while
perhaps other customers, who knew
lu-t What they wanted and would
have bought, turned away and went
elsewhere because they were tired
O' waiting
Behind one Of the counters In one
ut Tulsa's five and tcu-cent stores
whore saltcd peanuts lie i'm shoals
% 40
haired, white-aproucd little girl
twinklcd "a very blue-eyod and very
friendly little smile across at her
quCstionrr
Annoying? Nobody anuoys me,
n get annoyed. it's Just me. Re
cause I'm cross, not somebody
olep."
Well did YOU ever buy anything
from m?