The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-29
Merchandising Is Always FunOf
 Fascination
Ry RETH M,ILYAINE

Dy selling to each other everything III the house, and when that pals, set up stand in the front yard and sell lem onade. The bartering instinct was born deep in the human race when our savage ancestors traded skins for food, and many a chuckle rose from hard-hsted old skinflint when an ancient, moth eaten hide brought a freshly killed deer.
 Merchandising has much the same fascination flor grownnps. In general; women make the best traders. They are keen for good bargain. They know the values of goods. Moreover. nine out of ten shoppers in store are women, and as in advertising, 1t takes a woman to sell woman.
 The magic pill for any kind of sue cess is a patent medicine of the frst water--it is common sense plus lit tie coloring to impress the skeptcial. Still, most businesses offer individual problems that can De best worked out by a such and such kind of person whose peculiar qualities can be de- fined. Fortunately for the girl looking for her place in business, merchandising is one of those fields.
 To begin with, girl going into a department store as member of the selling force should have the funda- mental liking for store keeping.
 know such girl-aMarie's her name. Selling is a game ito her. She is happiest facing the world with a piece of merchandise in her hand. She takes the same keen joy in grappHng with a difficult customer across the counter that a diplomat experiences when entangled in international com plications. Wits, tact, an abounding patience, are her stock in trade. She's still very young, but she's on her. way to success.
 With this particular flair for store trading instinct.
 j A woman is in business both for love and money. The love she puts into business; the money she takes out. Both are essentiol to success, but money measures the success.
 Furthermore, merchandising is a contact game played by at least two people, the customer and the sales woman. The latter should know human nature and like it. She ml tt be able to make allowances for an Individuals s foibles, sympathize with his troubles.
 
 problems. She rubs close elbows with her fellow workers and there, too, she must be a good mixer, cheerful and help ful. A store is no place for a grouch :; it has no time for temperament"
 One particular girl have in mind She had hard time of it's since early youth, and could never quite forgive the world for making her work. She was afraid to be any thing but agree able to customers for fear of losing her job, but her tempe and dispo- sition were the terror of the sales force in her department. They felt sorry for her for while and tried to bear with her tantrums, but finally news of them reached the manager. and she was asked to leave. I heard later that her next employer had taken an unusual interest in the girl, and with infinite patience : had strengthened out the misunderstood ing with the world that was poison ing her mind She is now head of his statistical departmtnt and one of the best liked members of his firm. Last of all, girl should have a thorough knowledge of her own job, 8 and a working kno--ledge of everyone else's job that hers comes in contact with.
 Knowing her job flom beginning to end will often outweigh deficiencies in a girl which might otherwise saddle her permanently to t,-e ob where she first started.
 A young girl of German extraction working in the waist department of q large, store once came tV me and 2 complained. "I'm too slow. While I'm thinking about doing a certain piece of work another girl will have hers done. B. tides, when have to talk to people. l get tongue-tied. never can seem to get used to mixing"
 had heard of he. frorll the head of her department, who had made the same criticisms.
 So I suggested, Gretchen, another thing know about you that you don't You have mind that clings to facts , once they're entered. Learn everything you can about your stock Know the [ business that goes on behind your count CT upside down. Make a speciality of it and then see what happens"
 In six months time her head said that ahe was the best informed girl in the department, that everyone went to ! her for information. Soon she was transferred to head of stock on the sheer strength of her merchandising knowl- edge.
 Good saleswomen can be developed. Most large department Stores do not require previous experience of an ap- X plicant. They want intelligence. One employment manager said intelligence meant to him clear brain over which ! ideas pass and leave their tracks.
 The personality of an applicant is next considered. Personality counts for more in the selling game than in any other. A department head in a . willingness and adaptability summed up pretty we'll the qualities that were needed behind the counter.
 All large stores now have their own training departments in which the new i girl is taught the rudiments of her , duties. After girl has fitted into her business niche and has had a chance to acquaint herself to the life behind the { counter, there are generally other ] courses offered by her store which she 7 may -salesmanship, merchandising, textiles, sales psychology, management, and so on, and the schools offer night r courses, too. Executives delight in see. z ing employees who refuse 60 stand still and can show good reason why they shouldn't.
 The most general line of promotion for the female selling fo-ce in a de- pertinent store is from st, k girl to saleswomal., head of stock, assistant buyer, buyer, and finally an executive i; { for. the non-selling members, atenog- rapher, junior clerk in various depart ments, assistant head of apartment, ] head, and superintendent Many of these latter positions are filled by men, The chief executive positions extenl beyond these.