Evening star., 1936-09-27
Bv Vesta Cummings.

'NU may be iced and scented,
with lacquer fingered ladies
= behind the counters and
tranquil organ music at the luncheon
hour. but few persons realize that
whole new profession has grown up
In the last 20 years to assist in
achieving service standards to match
the surface splendor of retailing.
Hundreds of investigating shoppers
whose function is sort of insurance
against human frailty-upon which
insurance companies have never yet
announced premiumS-are employed
to promote courtesy and make honesty
easy among the thousands of clerks
engaged daily in exchanging mer-
chandise for your money. Putting
himself (or more often herselD in
the position Of both customers and
merchants, here are some Of the
matters professional shoppers are
asked to consider:
Are you a housewife who breads
shopping in certain departments of
certain stores because you are likely
to get that clerk who makes it plain
that you bore her?
Are you one of the women who
would rather wait an hour in dress
shop than let any one other than
Miss Jones serve you, because you are
better dressed and have enjoyed more
compliments since she had been help
ing you select your clothes? If so,
how are more Miss Joneses created?
Must you summon courage to say
10 some salesladies. II do not want
to pay $50 for dress, prefer one
around $20?" Are you then some
times made to feel that further serv-
ice is a personal favor and that the
clerk is despising you for your poverty,
although she, you have reason to be-
lieve. lives on comparatively modest
income?
Are you store owner who wishes
that he really knew how his clerks
approached customers? They seem
alert when he strolls through the
store, but the complaint department
relays tales of negligence.
Or are you q merchant who has
come to regard stock shortages at in
ventory time as an act of God, and
doesn't know what more to do to-
keep people from robbing him?
Oiling the mechanism of trading, in
which ancient pursuit both the per-
son buying and the person selling are
sometimes inclined to regret that the
passing of barter makes of shopping
no longer q free-for-all sport, is the
Job of service" shoppers all over the
United States. 1t has been dis
covered that the atmosphere of tea
table by a wood fire on rainy after
noon is the most desirable for a de-
partment store counter, and that al
though the customer may not be ad-
vised how to keep calm when a mil
linery saleswoman does not under
stand her type, the clerk may be in
structed and tested on the art of
painless selling.
For this reason service shoppers are
employed.
~ woman who has just waited on an
exacting customer, one demanding
the limit of service and apparently
knowing a great deal about materials
and their durability. She has asked
lots Of intelligent questions and given
you every opportunity either to rush
her or to advise her patiently accord
ing to the needs Of her household.
In that case let it be hoped that
you struck that nice balance of sales
manship, leaning neither toward in
sistence nor indifference. That dis
eliminating customer might have been
q trained shopper employed by your
store through Nation wide organiza-
tion known as Willmark Service Sys-
tenn to write a report on your man
hers, integrity, honesty, resourceful-
ness, knowledge of stock, skill at "sug-
gestive" selling, and whether your
blouse is fresh, your slip showing, or
you pronounce madam" correctly
but not too often.
If you failed to please your GUS
TONER the reasons for your lack of sue
cess will be explained by your train
ing department, while if you were in
terested and helpful you will be COM
imended for superior counter tech
nique and the triumph may help to
smooth the rough selling road to pro-
motion and pay.
Don't, salesladies and gentleman
please don't misunderstood when you
learn about service shoppers you may
wait on unawares, employers urge It
isn't espionage, but rather resembles
testing student, the principal differ
ence being that the student knows full
well he is in spot to put forth his
best efforts.
These trials by jury not only in
crease the owners profits, but are for
your own good, it seems. You won't
be fired for lack of skill in your deal
ing with one operative unless you
show fragrant antagonism or pocket
the proceeds of cash sale before her
eyes. You may, at the worst, receive
extra instruction from your personnel
department. Consistently unfavorable
reports might put you at the top Of
the list of clerks who would be dis
pensible if the force had to be cut.
The so-called customer" who re-
ports on your selling manner is in
structed not to irritate you and evoke
your snappiest squelching lines, but
to act like an average customer.
Snatching, noises Of derision about
goods displayed, or comments about
stock in other shops are frowned
upon.
Service shoppers. of course, take
into consideration the class of mer-
chandise and type Of customers in
various stores and sales methods rec
commended by store executives. Any
one who has entered some cash ap-
parel shops knows that an exit with
out package requires more stamina
than in stores where charge Gus
toners look over Fail dresses without
being made to feel q selection Is i'm
perative.
pREvENTING the loss of millions