Evening star., 1936-09-27

among folk employed by these con-
Germs tn old concepts about being
born with a predisposition toward
honesty seem to break down. Given
an opportunity to confiscate desirable
things with minimum of risk about
getting caught brings out the pirate
in many individuals who have lived
law-abiding existences until they
passed their days close to temptation.
Largely through the services efforts
is dishonesty reduced to a very bad
policy. Numerous department stores,
markets, restaurants, chain grocers,
chain drug stores, cigar stores, gaSo-
line stations and auto repair shops
employ such agencies on yearly con-
tract to check selling activities of their
employees.
To qualify as a shopper for this
company, that employees more than
600 analysts, a man or woman must
be of more than average intelligence
and must possess rounded educa-
tional background. To achieve re-
suits he must have an analytical
mind. keen sense OF observation and
retentive memory. Crews of four.
under supervisors, rotate and inter-
change all over the country to provide
fresh interests for the shoppers and
maintain their enthusiasm for the
work. Before being allowed to do
investigation work operatives take
eyesight memory and adaptability
tests and go through training period
OF at least six to eight weeks.
Every one in the politness manu-
featuring business is eager to stress
that they do not spy on employees.
Indeed, it's only country store clerk
these days who doesn't know about
service shoppers. Stores using the
service system are posted with metal
plaque announcing that fact, the en-
blem depicting magnifying glass and
test tube bearing the notices, TEST
ing to Prevent" and Builders of
Personnel" and new clerks are in
formed that such shoppers will check
the results of training.
nEPARTMENT store clerks some
times refer to service shoppers as
"goaders," it is said, despite the fact
that the shopper is instructed never
to be ill-tempered. Human nature
being what it is, Mr.. Levin points out,
studied rudeness on the part of a Gus
toner might easily provoke inferior
service or retalitory wise-cracks, and
it is not with such exceptional cases
that the store is primarily concerned.
Many retail stores are concentrating
not only on fostering courtesy, but on
increasing sales through suggestive
selling about which their training
departments give lectures and the
service company issues pamphlets
periodically for distribution among
clerks hired by their clients. Rules
for the proper handling of cash regis
tiers, the correct method or time for
recording cash transactions, the value
of an effective approach in selling,
spotlighting the shoplifter. protection
against the short-change manipulation
and the power of suggestive selling are
high lights in the educational plan.
Twenty years ago there was no sug-
gestive selling, it seems. You just
went into shop and asked for some
thing, and if they had it you bought
it. Today, with merchandise appear
ing on the market for uses heretofore
unfulfilled, clerks are sometimes asked
to promote new products. The sales
person trained In this twentieth CEN
tury art no longer asks. Anything
else?" at the completion of every sale
instead she shows some additional
item. When a customer selects hose
it is the proper procedure to ask How
many pair would you like?"
Service shopping was practically
unknown until 1916, when Will ant
Mark Bernstein of New York, both
in charge of personnel and service
work for chain stores, decided to in
corporate as Willmark. Today, in
addition to more than 600 shoppers
working the United States and Can
ada, they service more than 10000
business units. This concern oper-
ates from home Office in New York
where master records are kept, and
new methods are developed by the
research department to be carried
out through branch offices in 23 cities
from which crews of testers cover
$500 cities.
Two decades ago Willmark was
largely concerned with honesty, at
tempting to stem the tide of cash
and clothing disappearing annually
around American bargain counters
employers having discovered that hir-
ing men and women with spotless rec
ords did not always guarantee that
they would never steal. From facts
garnered all over the country, changes
were suggested in store systems for
handling cash and merchandise
changes that plugged loopholes max
ing dishonesty too easy.
THE ingenuity of man in getting
something for nothing is awe
some, Mr.. Levin says. Did you know
that the rubbish leaving most de-
partment stores is examined? Hun
dreds Of thousands of dollars worth
of goods has been carted out Of de-
partment store alleys in waste through
collusion of employees, porters anc
rubbish collectors, while manager
desperately searched for lost mer-
chandise and profits. 1t was fairly
simple for clerks to deposit articles
in waste containers any hour of the
day. Rubbish men, looking as guile
less as garbage collectors always look
could then go through the waste oi
that store in some out-of the-way
spot and split profits with inside
workers. Besides making the exam
ination of rubbish a routine in many
shops, it is now frequently a rule IL
large stores that no merchandise
boxes shall be thrown away without
first being broken or crushed.
In one store porter had used ,
trash bag to convey $2,4O0 worth O.
stuff from the premises when insec
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