and one chain made a custom of giving wedding presents to clerks who had been in their employ three years or more. Occasional small bonuses were given in some stores for perfect attendance, for "no lateness," for decreasing shrinkage, for increasing sales, for good inventories, etc. Such devices may, in certain cases, be necessary to create a willingness to do one's job properly; on the other hand, is it not poor policy to pay a bonus to anyone for doing something which under right conditions should be done anyway? An analysis showed that 106 of the 1,551 full time women employed had received bonuses during the week for which figures were taken. Discounts on Merchandise A very few stores gave a discount on merchandise sold to their employes. One chain and several independent stores made a 10 per cent discount to employes, but the largest chains made no difference in prices to their workers. In a few instances payroll figures were complicated by a "charging system," which enabled the employes to purchase and charge against their wages whatever merchandise was wanted. When the store contained grocery or yard goods departments, the purchases were astonishingly large. Uniforms It is necessary for employes in 5 and 10 cent stores, without exception, to be careful of dress. Some managers demand scrupulous neatness and cleanliness, while with others little attention is paid to such things. One chain has a regulation costume: black waists from October 1st to May 1st, and white waists from May 1st to October 1st, with dark skirts. This is not, however, strictly enforced. With most managers it is simply necessary that a girl be tidy and not overdressed. In a few instances special aprons were supplied to the candy girls, and in these cases the stores took the responsibility for having the aprons laundered and cared for. The fact that girls must invariably "look nice" must be carefully considered in working out any budget to serve as an aid in fixing wage rates. Concessions Cer Concessions of all kinds were common in 5 and 10 cent stores. tain chains apparently considered temporary concessions excellent advertisements. The atmosphere resulting in crowded hours was like that of the country fair. The merits of cleaning fluids, corn plasters, special embroidery cottons, or chocolate eclaires were being shouted from the individual booths. Such concessions as these were often accepted apparently simply as a drawing card to the store and as a permanent opening for securing the agency for the goods offered. The arrangement was usually that a percentage from sales should go to the store and that the agency for the goods be left with the store after the concessionaire had moved on. The permanent concessions were more or less a part of the store and nothing was done to draw particular attention to them, except where the music department, for instance, employed a special singer or violin player to draw a crowd on a Saturday afternoon. In the case of these permanent concessions the concession employes were not under store management, although often as a matter of convenience they were hired by the manager, and occasionally a portion of their wages came from the store payroll. Permanent concessions of music and grocery departments were found in one chain. In this instance one company had charge of all the music departments in these chain stores, forming what might be called a specialized chain business of its own. Another company had charge of the grocery concessions in these stores. This was just being developed and was considered an added attraction and a drawing card to the store. Ordinarily employes of permanent concessions worked the same hours as the regular store employes, and received practically the same wage rates. Organization The workers in 5 and 10 cent stores are unorganized as far as trade unionism or any scheme of employes' representation is concerned. The local managers were in touch with, if not active, in the Retail Merchant Associations, Boards of Trade, or Chambers of Commerce in almost every city. Thieving Thieving was mentioned by almost every manager as one of his greatest problems. It is made comparatively easy in the 5 and 10 cent store because of the manner of displaying goods and the almost universal use of the cash register. It is impossible to tell what proportion of thieving is done by the public and what proportion by the sales force, but it is known that it is done extensively by both. One manager had been forced to resort to weekly inventories and shrinkage reports in order to check up the matter of losses due apparently to thieving. It is, of course, an easy matter for the public to "shoplift." One store manager anxious to test the honesty of the public wrapped empty boxes and left one on a front counter. It disappeared immediately, and was replaced by another and so on. Within half an hour twentytwo of these empty packages had been taken, and the manager was convinced that his difficulties with thieving were certainly not altogether due to a dishonest sales force. One chain is supposed to have adopted a definite policy of never employing married women, inaugurated because it was felt that married women were more likely to steal both money and goods than single women, "particularly if their husbands are out of work," said one manager; "they don't earn enough for the family, of course, and if they can't get it one way they get it another." There is no doubt that the thieving which undoubtedly exists among the sales force could be reduced: If discrimination were used in the selection of salesgirls. If wages were paid and promotion policies installed which would be an incentive to good work and long terms of service, thus insuring a more stable working force. Sex and Occupations THE WORKERS Of the 2,626 employes whose records were studied, 2,325 or 88.54 per cent, were women. The largest proportion of men, 151, or 12.96 per cent, fell in the First Schedule, where the number of stockmen, assistant managers, etc., was very much larger than in the small cities. In these small cities, in most cases, the manager was the only man employed, helped occasionally by a part time stock boy. The proportion of men in the Third Schedule was only 8.22 per cent, as against 91.87 per cent women. In New York City and Brooklyn for every man employed there were seven women; in the Third Schedule there was only one man to every ten women. 3. OCCUPATIONS OF FULL TIME WORKERS For the most part the men held the supervisory positions; the women the unskilled and routine jobs. Seventy-two and sixty-eight hundredths per cent of the total full time employes studied were sales clerks, and but 10 of these 1,376 sales clerks were men. Six hundred and eighty-seven of the 706 part time women were saleswomen, and 3 of the 27 part time men. Eight occupational groups were used: assistant managers; floorwalkers; window dressers; stockmen; porters, matrons, and cleaners; kitchen help; clerical workers, and the sales force. The number of assistant managers, floormen and women, and window dressers, which might be called the positions requiring most skill, was only 214 among the full time workers, whereas 1,679 fell in the remaining groups. Food Handlers Among the sales force, 10 men and 157 women were selling food, and in addition there was a kitchen force of 28, of whom 21 were Aside from the grocery concessions, most stores sold candy, crackers and cake and many sold ice cream and sandwiches. Two stores had regular luncheon restaurants. women. The New York City Health Department, under section 146 of the Sanitary Code, has jurisdiction over food handlers. All people handling food must have a medical certificate either from their own physician or from the Board of Health stating that said person is free from infectious or venereal disease. From the testimony of the Board of Health, they are unable to cope with the foodhandlers in 5 and 10 cent stores, because of the high labor turnover in these stores, and because their own department is undermanned. Medical certificates had been requested for soda fountain and restaurant employes, but where a store sold only candy, cake and crackers, no inspection had been attempted. According to a study of "Health in Mercantile Establishments by Dr. A. B. Emmons of the Harvard Medical School, "The public sale of food in stores dealing primarily in clothing and general merchandizing carries certain risks," and the handling of food and money by the same person as is common in the 5 and 10 cent stores is not a safe procedure.' Part Time Workers The 5 and 10 cent store has developed to a very high degree the use of part time workers, because of the fact that such a large proportion of business is done during certain hours, on Saturdays, and during the Journal of Industrial Hygiene, May 1921, p. 32. |