Store system instruction.-Every newly-hired sales person requires detailed instruction in the details of the store system, and especially in the preparation of the different kinds of schedules before she is given a sales book and assigned to a selling section. This instruction is generally given from 8.30 to 9.30 each morning. New employees are sent to this instruction room once before they are assigned to a selling section and on at least two subsequent days. The older sales people are sent to the instruction room whenever the aisle manager observes that they do not understand the principles of store system and schedule writing needed by them in the performance of their duties. The following is a detailed description of the various schedules in use in most stores. To this are added suggestions for the order in which this schedule may be treated in lectures. LECTURES ON VARIOUS SCHEDULES FOR SALES PERSONS. FIRST LESSON. Cash sale: "To be taken." SECOND LESSON. Cash transfer sale. Charge transfer sale. Mail order-Cash, charge, samples. Elementary salesmanship.-Elementary instruction in the principles of salesmanship is generally confined to the elucidation and application of the fundamental psychological principles involved in making a sale.1 The methods of attracting the attention of the customer by the sales person's personal appearance, expression, and deportment are shown; the methods of arousing the customer's interest by the proper use of the voice, by an adroit opening thought and by the saleswoman's knowledge of human nature are explained; the means of arousing the customer's desire by a skillful use of the sales person's knowledge of the merchandise and an adequate description of the goods are presented to the novice and the manner of influencing the customer's resolve to purchase by mentioning the price and closing the sale demonstrated in detail. Let an actual occurrence illustrate. It will be easy to recast it and apply it to any branch of merchandise. The beginning: A pretty tie in the window of "Trois Quartiers.” The hero: A salesman, dressed in good taste, courteous, English-speaking. Yes; customer will take the tie. "Thank you! These, too, are handsome-n'est-ce pas ?" Two of them prove quite too pretty to ignore. 1 W. H. B. Kilmer. (See p. 30.) "Tourists are liking this new tie just now." "Do you like these new shades? They are going to be popular this fall.” "This new full-dress tie is dignified; don't you think so?" Six ties are bought instead of one. Then, white gloves and the newest muffler. The new dress tie clearly required them. Certain half hose came forward that harmonized beautifully with some of the first-chosen ties. A new leather belt was good to replace the shabby one in use. "Collars? You see this little difference here? They are distinguished— would increase the effectiveness of the new ties." Purchaser remembers there were some raw edges returned with last laundry. A dozen of the new collars added to the list. "Thank you; no!" with a laugh; "I simply mustn't let your goods tempt me further." Notice there was no pressure to sell; no direct questioning of the customer. The goods were brought forward chattily, without haste or awkward pause, as an amateur might display things he loved and tell of their interest for himself. The goods were the salesman; not the man. The following incident is cited as a clever exhibition of salesmanship: "May I ask, did you find what you wanted?"-with a courteous smile-one of our assistants questioned a lady and gentleman just leaving his section. "No; I didn't. I guess I am looking for something that doesn't exist," said the lady. "Won't you be so good as to tell me what it is?" Article described. "I'll have it made for you." "Thank you!-but we leave town this afternoon." "But perhaps you come back by way of Philadelphia ?" "Yes; after a week at Atlantic City." "Good! May I make the bag? It will be here for you in just one week." The bag was ready and pleasing; the sale was $28.50 for this bag, and $17 for two other articles selected in addition. Then the lady spoke of a hat. Our assistant directed them to the millinery floor, suggesting they ask for Miss —, who, he could assure, would give good service. He then quickly got the millinery floor manager on the phone, telling him that Mrs. and Mr. were coming up and would probably ask for Miss The floor manager was able to recognize the customers. He called them by name and put them into good hands, explaining that Miss was on vaca tion. A hat was sold, and other purchases followed. The total amount involved was some hundreds of dollars. "A wonderful store! The kind we like to deal with, and never find so good anywhere else," said these friends in bidding good-by. But we say, simply, good storekeeping. This subject may also be set forth to the clerk in bulletins, such as the one that now follows: No. 186. EFFICIENCY BULLETIN. May 25, 1914. INTERPRETING MERCHANDISE FOR THE CUSTOMER. Merchandise has a history. Much has happened to it before it reaches our hands. It may have come from a remote part of the globe-from Australia, India, Russia, France, Japan-and passed through many lands on its way to us. Its present history begins with us; its future depends upon us. The sales person makes its acquaintance and, to a certain extent, studies it. She studies it chiefly from the point of view of the present; that is, in terms of stock-such and such a price, style, color, size, in such and such a location. The average customer on entering a shop has the future point of view. She has not defined the article she comes to buy; she may know nothing of its past or of its present existence in terms of stock. She has, however, a use for it. We determine whether that need is to be supplied. Thus there is a mental gulf between the two points of view. The sales person who approaches with questions of price, style, color, etc., shows that she has not studied and grasped the possibilities of her merchandise, the uses to which it can be put, its future. Figuratively speaking, she does not budge one step to meet the customer, but attempts the dangerous task of making the customer bridge the gap and walk every step of the way to her till they are on common ground. 66 To illustrate: A customer asked to be shown a coat to wear motoring over a simple silk dress that she had on. She was using her suit coat, and so wished to purchase for immediate wear. The sales person said, “ We haven't anything; they have all been closed out." The customer, in surprise, asked, "What kind of a coat do you think I want?" and persisted in being shown something. The merchandise selected was so inappropriate that she went away without buying. While making another purchase she chanced to remark how odd it was that in such a large store she could not find a coat for her purpose. She was persuaded to try again and did find just the article that she could use. Moreover, this was her first visit to the store, and before she left her cash sales amounted to about $100. An incident like this is peculiar to no one department. It is happening in all, and is a problem for all. The solution lies in studying our merchandise from every point of view, past, present, and future-feeling its human interest and possibilities. The more we interpret its past as well as its present, the better able are we to interpret its future. We must study its future-the individual and occasion it can best serve. If we study our merchandise in these ways, the right customer will appear and we shall have the right merchandise already selected for her. Social aspects. In all this service instruction the social aspect should not be neglected. An attempt should be made to stimulate interest in the larger aspects of familiar things, to set personal as well as business standards, to broaden the girls' outlook by increasing their personal resources, to develop a high degree of personal efficiency by instruction in hygiene, to develop the economic sense by a discussion of the meaning of capital and wages, and to maintain a proper balance between income and expenditure by planning personal budgets. Textiles. Instruction in textiles usually includes a full exposition of the production and manufacture of cotton, linen, silk, wool, hemp, jute, and ramie from the raw material through all the stages of manufacture to the finished product. Instruction is also frequently given in color and design. The instruction in color includes an exposition of the groups of color, tones, tints and shades, and color harmonies. In the study of design the sales people receive instruction in rythm, balance, and unity, in suitability and uses, and in the practical applications of color and design in house furnishing and costumes. No. 171. EFFICIENCY BULLETIN. October 17, 1913. SATISFACTION VERSUS SELLING. This store was organized and equipped not for one day, one year, or one lifetime, but for many. To insure its future we must look beyond the immediate sale and sales total of the day. We may sell to a customer, or we may satisfy her-the two are not yet synonymous. A sale may be made though our efforts are half-hearted. A customer can be made satisfied only by earnest, intelligent effort which calls to aid all the resources that the store offers. To illustrate: A customer came to us to buy a hunting outfit. She went first to the shirtwaist department and explained that she wished something for the mountains. She knew that she wanted a flannel waist, but could not give the exact style. Those shown her were not what she wanted, and so she went away without purchasing when the sales person said, “These are all we have." She then tried to get a skirt, and again did not see what she wanted, and was told, "These are all we have." She abandoned the idea of getting anything for herself and looked for riding outfits for her two daughters, 8 and 10 years old. She met with the same reply. This customer was leaving our store, which is the largest specialty shop in New England, without finding what she wanted. Fortunately, she was intercepted. The result was that she purchased in the boys' department just the waist she wanted, found in another department a heather-down skirt such as is used exclusively for hunting because it does not wrinkle or shrink under any weather conditions; bought in the boys' department two corduroy suits which were excellent for riding habits, and added to these bloomers, garters, storm shoes, and leather gaiters. In short, we had what she wanted, but she was leaving us to buy elsewhere, because of our lack of resourcefulness. Arithmetic.-The instruction in arithmetic for saleswomen is usually most elementary, being confined to instruction in addition by the quickest methods for use on sales slips and to instruction in simple fractions, such as are used in selling yard goods and parts of dozens. Most of the problems used in this instruction are those which actually arise during the day in the store, and the object of the instruction is to familiarize the saleswomen with and easiest methods and to dispel the fear of this subject instruction is sometimes offered in the principles of subt_ in counting back change, and in the principles of per_ ployed in the calculation of discounts. IV. CONTINUATION INSTRUCTION. Continuation classes.-The compulsory education laws States prescribe that when a boy or a girl leaves school for pose of going to work at the minimum age at which he is £ to do so, he must attend a continuation class for one or two complete his education. These laws also generally impo_ employers the obligation of dismissing such employees at a suf early hour to enable them to go home, take their supper, and at the evening continuation school at the commencement of t sion. Because of the inconvenience of complying with thi vision of the law, many employers prefer to give their emp the benefits of continuation instruction in their stores in the morning when the business in the stores is normally light. In cases the stores furnish the room, light, heat, and equipment, the educational authorities provide the teacher and the supplies. Morning instruction.-Comparatively few customers visit dep ment stores in the early morning hours, and the service of the st is not interfered with if the junior employees are given instructi during these hours. The usual school hours are from 8.30 a. m. 10 a. m., and the most satisfactory arrangement is one in which one third of the junior employees attend each day, thus giving to each employee two consecutive school days each week. The school year furthermore frequently divided into three terms a fall term, e tending during October and November; a Christmas recess durin December; a winter term during January, February, and March and a spring term during April and May. Subjects of curriculum.-Arithmetic, spelling, penmanship, and English are the academic subjects most generally taught in continu ation classes. A discussion of current events is sometimes included in the course of study; and instruction in civics, ethics, and public speaking is occasionally provided. In large establishments in which the number of pupils justifies it the employees are divided into two or three grades, in accordance with the extent of their previous education. Secondary instruction.-A few comployers provide continuation instruction of a character similar to that furnished by commercial evening high schools. The subjects of instruction include business 1 W. D. Earnest. (See p. 30.) |