Lights and Shadows of New York Life: or, the Sights and Sensations of the Great CityMcCabe, James Dabney
History
Lights and Shadows of New York Life: or, the Sights and Sensations of the Great City
McCabe, James Dabney
New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel; New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
As may be supposed, the business of this great house requires an army of
employes. The force consists of 1 general superintendent, 19
superintendents of departments, 9 cashiers, 25 book-keepers, 30 ushers,
55 porters, 200 cash boys, 900 seamstresses, working-women, laundresses,
etc., 320 salesmen and saleswomen, and 150 salesmen and others in the
carpet department, making a total of 1709 persons. There are other
persons employed about the establishment in various capacities, and
these, with the extra help often employed, make the aggregate frequently
as much as 2200 persons. The business of the house opens at seven A.M.,
and closes at seven P.M. All the employes have thirty minutes allowed
them for dinner. One half of all are alternately dismissed at six
o'clock each evening. All the employes, when leaving, must pass through
a private door on Ninth street. On each side of this door is a detective
of great experience, whose business it is to see that none of the
employes carry away with them any of the property of the house. The
discipline of the establishment is very rigid, and is enforced by a
system of fines and other penalties.
The general management of the house is entrusted to Mr. Tellur, the
General Superintendent, but Mr. Stewart gives it his personal supervision
as well. He comes to the store every morning at ten o'clock precisely,
and consults with Mr. Tellur about the business of the previous day, and
the wants of that just opening. He goes through the entire
establishment, and personally acquaints himself with the exact condition
of the business. He knows everything connected with the retail store,
and every detail of its management receives his constant supervision, and
is conducted in accordance with his instructions. He remains here about
an hour and a half in the morning, and returns at five o'clock in the
afternoon, and spends half an hour more. The rest of his working day is
passed at his lower store.
[Picture: LORD AND TAYLOR'S DRY GOODS STORE.]
Lord & Taylor rank next to Stewart, and are a more popular firm with
residents than the latter. They occupy a magnificent iron building at
the corner of Broadway and Twentieth street. It is one of the finest and
most picturesque edifices in the city, and is filled with a stock of
goods equal in costliness and superior in taste to anything that can be
bought at Stewart's. On "opening days," or days when the merchants set
out their finest goods for the inspection of the public, Lord & Taylor
generally carry off the palm, for the handsomest and most tasteful
display. The show windows of this house are among the sights of
Broadway.
Two blocks below, on the same side of Broadway, is a row of magnificent
white marble stores. The upper end, comprising about one-third of the
entire block, is occupied by Messrs. Arnold, Constable & Co., a popular
and wealthy house. They are noted for the taste and general excellence
of their goods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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