The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's WorkPenny, Virginia
General
The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's Work
Penny, Virginia
Women -- Employment
=115. Saleswomen.= Women are quite as capable by nature to sell dry
goods as men, but are not trained so thoroughly, nor from so early an
age. Suavity of manner and perfect control of temper are very desirable
qualifications for a clerk. Care, judgment, and taste are requisite for
success. A flow of speech and ability to show goods to advantage are
also desirable. Some people urge that if females are employed as
attendants in stores, they will be exposed to dangerous and demoralizing
influences, and something is said about the corruption of female
shopkeepers in Paris, by way of warning. Now, it so happens that the
corruption spoken of does not exist among the store attendants in Paris,
but among sempstresses. Saleswomen and bookkeepers there enjoy as a
class a good reputation, but the same cannot be said of sempstresses.
Sempstresses, we know from the rates paid them, and the accounts of
travellers, cannot make enough to support themselves; but shopkeepers
can. "One fifth of all the female criminals in Paris are sempstresses,"
says Madame Mallet. Some employers complain that women are too sociably
inclined, too much disposed to chat, where several are employed in the
same establishment. It may be true; but are they more so than men of the
same age? The languid appearance of saleswomen, we think, arises from
their being on their feet so constantly. It is injurious to a woman; and
employers should allow them to be seated, when not waiting on customers.
The number of skirts they must wear, and the weight of hoop skirts, does
much to bring this about. The kind of ladies that saleswomen mostly see
in first-class stores is calculated to improve and refine their manners,
and give them a command of language. Besides, it renders them more
particular in their attire. They want to dress and look well. Those
acquainted with the art, say there are at least a hundred ways of
putting up new goods. Some Jews hire a girl to stay in their store, and
require her to sew, make hoop skirts, &c., when not waiting on
customers. In the United States, women are employed in a variety of
stores: dry goods, lace, and fancy stores are the most common. In
Philadelphia they attend in nearly all the largest stores--Levy's,
Sharpless's, and Evans's; besides, several hundred earn a subsistence as
saleswomen in smaller stores. Close observation and much experience are
needed to fulfil the duties, but the natural quickness of most women
gives them a tact seldom equalled by men. The variety afforded by the
occupation is pleasing, and the labors are light. The handling of
gloves, tape, ribbon, &c., is undoubtedly best suited to the finer and
smaller hands of women. The reason there are so many young men
performing the duties of clerks and salesmen, is, that they are lazy,
and do not want to perform hard work. Another reason is that the
majority want to dress well and make a good appearance, but have no
capital. The price paid for a girl to attend store would depend on the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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