y get five or six dollars a week or, if she is in an
establishment which pays no employee less than a certain amount, she may
get seven or eight dollars. The girl who earns less than eight dollars a
week after a year or two years is not a successful saleswoman and is not
likely to be kept on in any well-managed store. The saleswoman who is
dissatisfied with her wage may ask at any time to have reference made to
her actual sales, of which an account is kept. Wages are based on sales.
Sometimes a commission is paid on sales over a certain amount. In any case,
the girl feels that there is a direct connection between her successful
salesmanship and her wages. Character, skill, tact, and energy are all
required for successful salesmanship. The saleswoman who really gives
herself to the work of serving and satisfying her customers finds her
employment an exacting one.

A saleswoman may be promoted to have charge of stock; she may become
assistant buyer or head of a department; and in somewhat rare cases she
may become a buyer. These are all responsible positions requiring unusual
business ability and character. The salaries are high. If a saleswoman has
excellent business ability, she may, after years of experience, become an
important influence in the management of the store. Some departments offer
greater opportunities than others. The more expensive the article to be
sold, the more is required from the saleswoman. A very young girl will
not be found selling coats and cloaks or expensive suits and dresses.
"The customer who is spending a large amount of money wants to have
confidence in the judgment of the saleswoman," is the saying of an expert
in store management.

The large department store, while it affords training and opportunity
to the girl who intends to become a competent saleswoman, employs many
girls and women in occupations other than salesmanship. In the store there
is a large clerical staff, including stenographers, who may receive
promotion to the position of private secretaries and bookkeepers.
Telephone and telegraph operators are among the employees. The store
shoppers act in connection with mail orders and orders received by
telephone. The advertising department employs writers, artists,
proof-readers, and card and sign writers. Milliners are employed in the
millinery department and fitters and dressmakers in the alteration
departments. Manicurists and hair-dressers carry on their special
occupations, an