The New York herald., 1921-02-27
The Clerk and the Customer

THE HUMAN SIDE OF RETAIL
SELLING. BY Ruth Leigh. d. APP
pleton d Co
Reviewed by GEORGE KENT.
The Human Side of Retail Selling
Is only a textbook, but the success of
the trade which It teaches is rooted IN
the shifting sands OF human nature.
which Is fundamentally artistic.
High prices are paid for seats at
performances far inferior in their
power OF human appeal to those which
are frequently enacted IN department
stores. A certain art critic takes great
pleasure in buying tie. When he en-
ters the haberdasher's he departs from
his corporeal self and becomes a spec
tator. watching with INTENSE glee the
tug of war between the unconcerned
intellectual and the alert, smooth
tongued persuader. The result--the
necktie--is an incidental.
The author relates an anecdote of a
sixteen-year- girl between little
girlhood and womanhood---hard to fit
hard to suit. hard to handle"-the
sweet and bitter age. In company with
her mother she has come TO the store
to buy suit. She has just tried on
one of her mothers suggestion and
thrown II away.
II won't wear it," she stamps. Il
WON'T Makes me look like little
girl"
"Well. then, you won't get any suit"
her mother says with quiet finality.
II know what is suitable for girl
your age to wear and you're too young
to wear any other style
Then I don't want anything" The
daughter sinks into her chair and
tears follow.
Only fragment, but intense and
provocative, and obviously clipped
from the page Of experience.
In the background hovers the suave
female Chesterfield batting her words
for our frailties. She is the sales
woman, who will doubtless dry the
eyes of the little girl and skilfully
work the mother out of her conser-
vatism, and by reconciling them make
two satisfied persons and two custom
ers for her employers. She will find
out your vanity and be playing upon
it before you have been beside her
counter for five minutes. She will inn
press you as delightful companion.
no matter what your disposition. You
win go away with a contented giggie
In your throat, patting your purchase
with feeling of pleasure.
The much bewept department store
slavey OF the fictionists seems to be
rapidly disappearing. The tear rtained
pages of o. Henry, Fanny Hurst and
other romantic sympathizers will soon
be as out of date economically as
Dickens.
Universities have acknowledged her
Importance by establishing schools for
instruction in the Fart of retail SELL
ing" Manufacturers have come to
realize that the salesgirl is the test
link I'm the entire chain Of production
and distribution. The column of text
books concerned with the problems OF
the girl behind the counter is mount
ing daily skyward. No higher tribute
can be paid to the importance and
difficulty of a profession than the
multiplication of explanatory volumes.
Retail selling has arrived, in manner
of speaking.
In Miss Leigh's volume, an exceed
insly readable and valuable addition
TO the literature of the subject, the
preface sums up the advance OF the
saleswoman as follows:
THE retail salesperson has devei-
oped from the old time humorous girl
behind the counter character into
trained, intelligent business person
upon whom the success of modern
merchandising depends.
THE retail merchant OF to-day adj
mits frankly that his stores reputa-
ton lies IN the hands Of his sales peo-
pIe. His stock must be properly sold
and customers courteousiy served.
Only capable sales people can be en-
trusted with these vital duties, Tor
their efforts can make or break the
stores reputation.
Then, too. manufacturers are real
izing that intensive distribution and
million dollar advertising campaigns
are wasted unless retail sales people
make good when they sell. II is this
retail sales force, not advertising. that
must finally persuade the ultimate
consumer to buy goods.
Consequently. schools, high schoolr