When milady of Manhattan finishes her purchases in Macy's, snaps her
purse together once again and goes out of the store, the transaction is
ended, at least as far as she herself is concerned. But not so for
Macy's. Particularly not so when she has given orders that the goods be
"sent," either to her own home or to the home of some friend. In such
cases the largest part of the store's responsibility still is ahead of
it. It must see to it that the package--or packages--shall be carried to
the proper destination, quickly, promptly, correctly. Which means that
the great business machine of Herald Square has another great function
to perform.
There is, in the sub-basement of the Herald Square store, where the
greatest portion of its own great transportation system is situated, an
ancient two-wheeled cart, somewhat faded and battered, yet still a red
delivery wagon and showing clearly the name of the house it served, R.
H. Macy & Company. It is a treasured relic of other days, which now and
then again, at great intervals, is shown to the populace in the
all-too-rare parades of the huge wagon equipment of the store today.
The gentleman who gives the lecture which accompanies any public
showing of this ancient equipage is Mr. James Woods, who, as we have
already seen, has been with the store for nearly half a century and who
has risen in its service to the important post of assistant
superintendent of the delivery department. Mr. Woods regards the cart
with tender affection, since it was he who once was the human horse who
strode between its shafts. That was back in 1873, long years before the
store had moved north from the once tree-shaded Fourteenth Street. Mr.
Macy, himself, was still very much in charge of the enterprise and was
passing proud of his delivery "fleet"--consisting of three horse-drawn
wagons, and young Jimmie Woods with the cart. A good many prosperous New
Yorkers then had their residences within a dozen blocks or less of the
old store, and young Jimmie's legs--and the cart--could and did serve
them, easily and expeditiously.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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