Document text
41-.nuary 24, 1939
SAthern Department Store
Cor. Broad Jackson Sta.
Athens, Georgia
(Manager Abe Link
Clerks: Mrs. Maud Tlliott
Mrs. B. F. McEntire,
Mr. Mell McCurrdy)
Grace McCune
A DAY IN A STORE
It was in a cold drizzling rain that I made my visit to
a very popular department store. It was such a disagreeable
day, that few people would get out unless it was necessary for
'ork or business, and thinkinE this would be a good day to get
a story, I went early.
As I opened the door, I was hailed by them all, wanting
to know how I ever got out of a nice warm office to come down
there on such a day. I told them, the same thing that brought
them out was the cause of my getting out also. They were order-
ing coca colas and I was invited to join them. As we were fin-
ishing out' drinks, Mr. qoldberg came in and wanted to know why
we picked such a cold day for cold drinks.
The store is heated by a large circulating heater in the
center of the first floor. They were all around the heater
waiting for the store to get warmer before they started their
work of dusting counters and straightening stock. They were
all talking about their different work.
One clerk has the dry goods department which is on the
first floor; a man is the one that has chare of the shoes
and mens clothing which is also on the first floor; anoth-er
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quet, the sophomore's were tryin g to prevent the freshmen from
attending. I was carried out below i'inceton and tied out on
the river bank to a tree. They told me that they would come
back for me after the banouet was over, but if I should by any
means be able to get away from the tree, I would be allowed to
attend without any more trouble from then, and they left me there.
"It was getting night and I oouldn't work those ropes
loose finally I heard an old man over on the hill. He had been
ploughing and was hollering at his mules, and that old gee -haw
whoa mule, gee -haw sure sounded good to me and thinking he
would help me I started yelling as loud PS I coul.d, he heard
me and came to see what was the trouble. I begged him to untie
me. He wanted to know what I would give him. I promised him
a new pair of shoes if he would come to dad!s store the next day.
He cut the rope and I l‘t out for home.
"Yes, I had to walk, but who minded that if we could out
do the sophomores. And I just knew I could get in now and they
would not bo\ther me any more that night. I went home bathered
and dressed in my tuxedo, even had the high top silk hat. I
was feeling great, but it didn't last.
"I went strutting along head high in the air. As I reached
the old Imperial Hotel, where the bancuet WRS being held, the
sophomores were all linea up. AS they saw me, they wanted to
know how in the hell I got away. I pulla off the high top hat
and made a most polite bow to them. But, oh, boy, I paid for
that. For inspite of that, gentlemens agreement that when a
freshman managed to work out of any place they put him he was
fr-e to go Aiere he wanted to. They threw rotten eggs all over
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store and out again, without even answering me at all. Then
sometimes they will walk around and then finally ask if we have
a rest room. We have all kinds of experiences in our work, but
we also 1.1--,ve some very nice customers, and most of them are nice.
aid it is a pleasure to wait on them.
A *-adajc came in looking for a hand bag to match a suit.
The clerk helped make the selection, also showin, gloves to
match the bag. The customer thanked her, as she paid for them,
saying you have been so nice to take up so much time with me.
Ammo,"
ifter selling a man some children's socks, a.Ladiy, a child's
sweater and cloth tO another customer, she came back to answer
the telephone. It was someone that wanted some of them to go
out on the street to se- if they couldn't find a dray, and be
sure and get one that had a good horoe and wagon.
I asked if they had many calls like that and she said,
"Why allthe time. ./hen it is not bad weather there are usually
arays and trucks both around on Jacson St. and some people
think we hve time to hunt up a dray anytime they want one.
A small well dressed man came in the store and asked for
Mr. Goldbert, who introduced himself as Mr. Jacobson. He said
he was from Florida and on his way to Hot Springs at his doc-
tor's suggestion, and need -d some help to get there. Mr. Gold-
berg asked him how long he had been sick. He said, "for some-
time. I am not accustomed to sking for help, but I spent
everything I had trying to get Aell. I have always donated
highly to our society for the help of Jews, and it is embrassing
now to have to ask for help myself. But I just can't stay here
in this weather for it will put me right back in bed. Mr.
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Goldberg asked if he had been to the president of their society
here. He said yes and that he gave him a place to stay the
night before, but that was all he could do for him. He then
called Mrs. Jake Joel, the president of the sisterhood. She
refused to do anything at all for him. He asked her if he
should get sick here, who should he refer to her or the Rabbi.
He thanked her very polite, placed the telephone back on the
desk and said, "I have never had anyone to talk to me that way
before. Thy she aid that if I should get sick to call on the
city that they were supposed: to take care of folks like me.
Well, when I had plenty of money I had plenty ofjriends.
Asking who the rabbi was and where he livedihe went out.
A-saleman came in to see the manager, said he had his new
samples of ladies underwear and a lovely line of ladies blouses
both wash and silk, sport and for dress wear in all the new
shades that went with the new spring suits. Mr. Goldberg asked
the clerks if there was anything in this line that they needed.
But they said that they had already placed their orders. He
wanted to know why he was never able to land an order from them.
They said well, you are always too late.
Be.said business wasn't as good with him this trip, and
that he didn't think anyone made any money'last.yex, and were
lucky to break even. Mr. Goldberg told him that the fall of
the year was when he did his best business for his largest
buyer were farmers, but that it was very disappointing 2.-,st fall.
The farmers had short crops did not make anything, depended tc0Xx
much on their cotton and lost on that. And when the farmers
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fail I lose also as they do not have the money to spend.
Two colored men came in wanted to see some mens underwear.
The clerk asked if he wanted the union suits, hesitating, one
of them said, "YasIser date it." They were shown a heavy weight
which was too heavy, the light weight was too light "fer wuk."
Nothing was just right and they left to look around and if
us don't find 'em den us'll sho be back.
A girl came in and asked to see an umbrella. Mr. Gold-
berg waited on her as the others were busy. She asked for an
oil skin, but when he showed those she wanted a cellophane
one. After looking at these, also the cloth one she finally
decided on the oil skin. Then she wanted to know if he had
any rubber overshoes. He got out the old time overshoes and
she said could she try them. on over her wet oxfords, or if she
would have to take her shoes off. He told her that he could
not fit them on her feet for then they wouldn't fit the shoes.
After working to get them on over the wet shoes, she said she
would take the umbrealla and come back later for the overshoes,
and be sure and put them aside for her. As she went out, he
tola the clerk that if she came back to give her the 4 for she
-ould never get the size 8 on her feet. And laugh this off.
She also wanted to know if she just wore the overshoes with-
out the shoes would they look any smaller.
Two Negro girls came in the door. They were met by the
clerk. She asked if she could help them. They just walked
by her, went upto the ready to wear -ei.)artment. The clerk up
XTatrairaltarirX
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there met them at the top of t:_e steps with the same polite
offer to help them. They walked by her looked at hats, pulled
out dress racks, looked at them, then walked out of the store
without speaking at all.
The clerk downstairs finished waiting on some more customers,
and said it was time for her to go to lunch. As she started
out the door, she was met by the husband of one of her old
customers. His wife wanted some cloth matched and no one could
do it but her so she came back and waited on him and then she
v;ent on for lunch.
"I went up to the ready to wear department., Two Negro
women 7:ere looking at a child's wash dress. One said it would
take one size, but the other insisted on a smaller size. :iFinally
arming they n,Dought the dresE,, then 7;F:nted to see the hats.
The clerk was very considerate and showea the new hats which had
just come and explained the different styles and colors, one of
them picked up a sma.l roll brim hat and said,"ain't dis pretty,
I sho does lak it, and I sho am coming back and it dis very hat.
The clerk asked if they wouldn't like to see some of the
new spring dresses and especially the new suits. One of the
women opened up a box she had and showed a n -w suit that she
had just bought for 16.95 and wanted to know if their suits
were as nice as the one she had just bought. Assuring the
woman that she had suits just that nice, the other then said
she was coming lock to dis store for her suit. As they went
out, the clerk said it is all in a day's work.
"'My motto is to do unto others as I woulla like to have them
do for me, and I don't try to sell anyone else something that
I would not want myself. I try to treat everyone fair in every
way, and I do appreciate my customers, and I have built up a
good business with them. Most of them are nice and considerate,
of course we have some that are trying. But I can wait on them
for hours and know that they are not going to buy.
"Only the other day, I sold a woman a coat. It was a hard
sale, as she did not know just what she wanted, but after I had
put it in the box and handed it to her, she said just reckon
as how I won't take it. It took another good hour to sell her
the coat all over again.
"And then I had another customer that I showed everything
in this departbent and everything I showed her she said has
got one just like it, and very often these young, flappers come
in and try on dresses and hats just to have a place to smoke
and rest, bUt they are usually very nice.
"One day a lady came and wanted to see my ver$ latest
dresses. After trying them all on and examining them to see
how they were made she said I thank you very much. •am a dress
maker and I just wanted to see how the new styles looked. It
will give me new ideas in my work.
"Some people that clerks have an easy job, but they don't
realize that we have to keep this stock in place and that it
has to be brushed and dusted every day, and it takes hours to
get it fixed beck after a busy day. Then every season things
have to be packed away to make room for the new things and I
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wonder every year as I pack and „Alt away things if I will be
here next year to unpack them. I have worked on this same
block for 27'years. I asked her to tell me about it. She
laughed and said, "!:ell, I will tell you what I can. I was
young when I went to work right in this same store for Mr. Abe
Joel. I had never worked before and I was started in at five
dollars a week, but that was big money to me. I worked two
weeks, then I was called to the office. I just knew I had done
something wrong and my knees were shaking so I could hardly
talk. But when I got there, they told me that I had tried hard
to learn, and they were satisfied with my work, And they were
raising my salary to ten dollars a week.
"v‘e works: hard, but business was :ood then and didn't
have so much competition. Farmers would come in to buy and
they bought for the whole family and the bills amounted to
something. Xe always got a bonus check at Christmas for M.
Joel and the boys i,ave us a piece of gold money.
She had to stop and wait on some customers and I looked
around her department. One side was filled with dress racks
full of dresses and in the center of the balcony were seveal
large round dress racks, one of house dresses at 94, one rack
at $1.98, one at $3.95. All dr-sces run from 94 to $7.95.
Suits at different prices, popular prices in tailored suits were.
$9.90. Coats light and heavy weight at different prices, rain
coats $1.98 to $2.98. Children dres es from 49', up.
The other side was hats, all sizes, colors and shapes.
On a table in the center floor was displayed a nice line of
hats that were priced at 94. The better hats were in show
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"The next wedding we had was really a nice wedding. It
was a couple from Madison County. We dressed that bride also.
They had some of their friends with them and we called Preacher
Elliott to marry them, and it was quite different from the
first one.
Mr. Joel could just think of everything and did things so
different from anyone else.- One year business was. bad. Fann-
ers had a bad yea 4 and couldn't get anything for their Cotto
and couldn't pay up their bills. Mr. Joel .bought a bale of
cotton and put it out in front with a big sign on it saying,
'we will buy your cotton at ten cents a pound.'
He would buy the farmers cotton from them Afid we sure did
do business that fall for they all traded with him, payed their
bills with the cotton they couldn't sell and in this way we. did
a good business kept our old customers and made many new ones:
"When the war came, his two oldest sons were just the age
to go. They volunteered. We all hated to see them go, and we
knew just how it hurt Mr. Joel, but he did not want his boys
to be slackers. We just tried that year to see how hard we
could work. Business was good everywhere then and we sure got
our part, and at Christmas I received a bonus check for $300.
with merry Christmas on it. He was a good man to work for, and
he appreciated what: his clerks did for him. I never had any
trouble with him but one time. I came in one morning a few
minutes late, and several customers were waiting for me. The
boss gave me a dirty look and also .a raking over before my
customers.
That made me mad. I went ahead with my customers and after
they were gone, I went back to our dres;ing room, got my coat,
and at went bythe office and told them that I was quitting, as
I didn't intend to be treated any such a way before my customers
and I walked out. Mr. Joel called me, but I didn't stop.
"I had just reached my home when two of the boys got thers.
They talked to me and begged me to come back. They told me
what was wrong with their dad.. I One of the banks had closed
that morning, he had several thousand dollars in the bank. He
was worried and didn't realize that he was so cross. I stayed
at home week and ent back and I never had anyAmore,trouble
with him. I worked for him as long as he was in business. In
fact, I worked for them fourteen years and ten months.
"After he went out of business I worked for another store
in this same block until 1932, and then I came back here to work
for Mr. qold'clerg, but it is time for my lunch hour now, will you
have lunch with me? I thanked her and told her I would get me
a sandwich later as I wanted to talk to the other clerks while
they were not busy.
As I went back-ito the first fl000r, two ladies came in
the fr,nt door. ',he clerk met them, but they had just come in
to warm and rest awhile. She invited -them back to the fire, and
placing chairs for them,went back to wait on another customer.
I listened to them talk ghile'they rested. One said she 'just
had to come to town, and see bout gettin' something to fix fer
her children's school *unch. You know I has three in school
and they 'Iasi got to the (place where they think they is too
good to take jelly and butter and bread or for that matter they
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didn't want eggs no pre -serves neither. Just thinks they has to
have, fruits, sich as apples, oranges, and banann.as, and why if I
didn't just set my foot down they wouldn't take a thing Icept cancly.
"My children can eat really more than most rown folks, 'cause
they ain't finky tout what they eat at home. It is just what they
takes for lunch.
The other lady had come plum to town to git her radio fixed.
ahen they told me that it would take all of two hours work to git
it fixed, I decided to come down here to wait. I knowed they would
n't mind, they all'ers have such good fires and are so nice to 118
when we wants to warm and rest. Why sometimes folks 4ats dinner
right here, when they has to :e in town all day. Tain't no wonder
that folks likes to trade here, and I t,ry to do all my trading here.
They are always nice. I bring them eggs most every time I come
and they always buy them and garden stuff too, but I didn't have
any today. My children all like egks and they come in handy in
fixinL, up their lunches. But they told me to be sure and bring
back the radio and we all likes to listen to it at night when we
are through work, but I'm g'ad they likes it for it keep them from
galivanting 'round so much at night.
They then z,ot to discussing the Bible, said folks didn't read
it right and anyway no one understood it, and after arguing this
way and that way, they started out, one to see if by any chance
her radio was fixed sooner than they said for you wouldn't always
tell 'bout 'em, and the other one to see if the boys won't ready
to go home and she still had to hunt for something else to help in
lunches and she *just had to be home by night.
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The clerk came back to the fir= then, and said, "It has
been a good day for sweaters for it is really cold outside,
but I will tell you a joke on the boss. Mr. Goldberg had just
come in and he said, "now look here, if these folks are going
to talk atout the boss just let me talk first, ani tell you
that my clerks are all so much old,==r than I am that they have
no respect for me and just talk to me any old way.
This brought a protest as well as a fugh and very friendly
argument between the boss and clerks, one of them said, "just
write that our boss was one of the best pitchers in soft base-
ball here for years, until father time stopped hLm and now he
plays golf. Mr. Goldberg laughed and said they will ruin me
yet. Better let her tell her joke, for I know I will have
to pay for it.
The clerk said, last week a lady came in to buy a
sweater for another woman said he wanted a 38. As the one she
was buying for was larger than she was and she didn't want any-
thing except a dark blue, I know my stock pretty well and I
knew that sweaters run small to the size. The lady that was
buying couldn't have worm less than a 42. I gave her a 46 and
told her that if it didn't fit I would exchange it or give her
the money back. After she had gone, Mr. Goldberg bet two coca
colas to one that she would bring it back for it would be too
large, and yesterday the lady came back. He asked her how the
sweater was, and she said, "it was just -a perfect fit and the
lady was well pleased.
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I asked if. the boss paid off. He answered before she could,
said no, but he was going to for if they ever got anything on
him he never heard the last of it, but after all they are pretty
good sports and we have worked together so long that we don't
mind each other.
"Re have extra help oi Saturdays and in the fall we have
seve-,-1 extra ones on the force. These long -lull days just
whips us all down. They are worse than being busy. We have
a good trade among the farmers, Tout last fall was disappointing.
Farmers made short crops, deJended on their cotton too much and
the boll weevil ruined most all of that, and when the farmers
:ail then we all lose too.
Business was not so ,:ood last year, but we are expecting
and looking forward to a better business this y ar, and I hope
we will not be disappointed. We Copen at eight in the morning
and close at six. Except on Saturday nights, when we stay open
late for the benefit of our customers that have to work also.
Of course we come if, :bnt-ct with all classes and kinds of people.
Most of them are nice but we do run across many amusing things
in our work. In the fall rush e have a young boy from the
university to work with us. He is a fine boy and well liked
by all in the store, but we uet a good many laughs on him.
Especially one time last fall. A lady from the country came
in to get a pair of shoes. This boy was waiting on her 'and he
is very nice to his customers. He had tried on several pair,
when all at once she wanted to know if he was a married man.
He hardly knew how to answer, but told her that he was not
marri-d. he refused to let him finish waiting on her, said
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she was a marri-d woman herself and she didn't want no young up-
start fitting shoes on her feet. And if there immict won't no
married men that could try on her shoes .she would go sommers
else. An older clerk ,was called and after assurring her that
he was married and had a large family, she let him fit her shoes,
and bought them, but she won't &Loin' to let no young upstart
try shoes on her feet.
"You get a god many amusin experiences in all parts of
the store, but most of all in the shoe department ad the ready-
to-wear. Ladies at least nine out of ten will want shoes that
are too small and can't understand why they are rot comfortable.
And the colored folks are very amusing, and will try their best
to get on a shoe that is seveal sizes too small, so dat dey
won't look so powiful big. They are the same about dresses 'ond
coats, and you know it pays to watch them too when they come in
a store in crowds for they can pick up thiras and you looking
at them. nd as Mr. Goldberg went out for his lunch, he told
them he would be late and might not be back at all, for he had
an engagment and it was such a bad day they probably wouldn't
be busy enough to need him and turnirr, to me said don't let
these folks tell you too much on me.
Fixing up the fire, the clerk said, "I am going to rest
while I am mutt xi xtk not busy I asked her to tell me some-
thing aboul her department. "Well, when some of them come in,
they know what they want again they don't, and then my tables
and counters will look like a cyclone has been through, but I
and when they
don't mind for I do like to please my customers,
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come back and call for me, then I feel like I have pleased them.
I have built up a good trade and I have customers that
will not let anyone wait on them except me. They will call for
me and wait until I can get to them. I find most of them nice,•
but have had some to tell me, after showing everything on the
tables, shelves as well as the show case that they didn't ,vant
to buy, but just ,:anted to look and that was what we was hererior,
to show them. And that clerks didn't have any business getting
mad when folks wanted to look.
"It is really in the fall that we are real busy in my
department, for I have everything that one could ;sk for at least
I feel. that way until someone comes in and calls for the very
thing I am out of. I have a time with the new help sometimes
for some them have never worked in a store before and they
have to be shown everything and the ptices. Last year one of the
new girls was selling some cloth that was marked 19 on the bolt,
and the girl wanted. to know if that meant 197: a yard, or was it
190 a bolt. But things like that makes me think of when I first
started out to work. I asked her to tell me about that. I
ent to work when I was about fifteen for Max Joseph and Co. as
a cashier for eight dollars a month. They had two stores both
was on Clayton Street, but one was where Kress's is now, and the
other one was where the Michael Building is. I had never worked
before and I was just as green as any one ever could be. Didn't
know a thing about a store. I did not have any trouble in learn-
ing to make my change, but the telephone had me. I had never
tried to use one, and didn't know how and I would just let it
ring until someone else answered it. But day it started to
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ringing, I just let it ring until someone told me to answer
that telephone.
"I didn't know what to do, I had seen the others pick
up the receiver and say hello so I tried that. And I never
heard such a noise in my life. It was a Jew woman talking, and
I just couldn't understand a word, so I just put the receiver
back on the telephone. And immediately it started rining again.
I let it ring until some of the others finally answered it, and
it was the boss's wife. She wanted to know who that D fool
was in the office that didn't know how to answer the telephone.
She came in the office later and asked me why I hung up on her
when she was trying to ,et her husband. I just had to tell her
the truth, that I didn't know how to talk over one. She looked
at me hard d7T.cid d I was telling the truth and she show -d me how
to talk over a telephone, but they were all good to me and I
worked for them until I married.
"I was very small and thin then, and Uncle King as we call
called him, but his name was King 141.7rks, was awfully good to me.
He was an old bachelor and was Mrs. Joseph's brother. He was
sick all the time and wouldn't eat anything hardly. They would
fix everything they could get to try to get him to eat. He would
fix it nice and tell them he would at it at the store. And he
would bring it to me, he said I needed more, because I just brought
sandwiches for my lunch, but I did not know that he thought I
wasn't betting enough to eat, and I redly enjoyed those good things.
He would bring turkey, chicken, goose, cakes and pies, in
20.
fact they fixed up everything for him to eat, and I got the most
of it, and I didn't know that he was suppose to be eating it all.
"He had a hobby of saving cold money and every bit that
I got in the register, he would take it out and replace it with
paper money. His folks all knew that he was saving this gold
money, but when he died they could not find any of it. They
sent for me to come to the house, said they knew he liked me,
and thought that he might have told where he put his gold money.
But I didn't know and I couldn't help them. Put I didn't know
and I ,-ouldn't help them. I never heard any more about it and
I guess they found it, but it was right at the time I married
and quit work. I didn't work any more for five years; and then
my husband did leaving me with two little girls to raise. I
“ent back to work, and it was right here in this same building
for Mr. Joel as cashter at twenty five dDllars a week. They
were good people to ork for and when in the busy season -e did
not have time to get out for lunch they asked us which we had
rather do, have three dollars a week extra to buy lunch or let
them have our lunch fixed at their home with theirs.
"Se decided we had rather have them fix lunches, and we
sure didn't make a mistake. For our lunches were fixed on a
large plate for each one, and we had just what they did, and it
was the best that could be fixed, and was coked good.
"I enjoyed working for them. We worked hard for he really
did a big business. I asked if she was there when they had the
weddings. She laughed and said, "I sure was and I never laughed
21.
as much in my life as I did when the old Justice of Peace asked
the ,-room if he would feed the bride on cornbread and collards.
7ut the ther wef.dinc was a very nice one.
"I worked for Mr. Joel until he went out of business. We
sure did hate to see him do that, bu we knew it was on account
o: his health. But he didn't forget his old clerks then, b t
very often came by to see us. I never did any kind of work in
e. store except as a cashier until I came to work for Mr. Gold-
berg, and he asKed me to try working on the floor. It was hard
and I thought I would never get use to it, but now I don't want
to change. I like it 50 much better. I have so ilany nice
customers, and I appreciate them too. I am always pleased when
one come- in and calls for me.
"Why only last Sunday in our church as we were coming
out I noticed an old man standing off to his self. His clothes
were old, but he was very neat and so clean looking. I did not
know his name, but i did remember that I had waited on him in
the store. So I made my way across to him, shook hands with
him and told him how ilad I was to see him at our church. He
was very happy that someone had come to sEak to him. AS We talked
a few minutes, he look a up at me with a smile and said, 'Aidt
you one the clerks that work down at Mr. Goldberg's store. So
you se I am pretty well known. But I do try. to treat all my
customers right, e.nd it is a pleasure to wait on them.
Business is not what it usd to be. Of course we do not
make what we did years ago and those old bonus checks are gone.
I make just about half what I did, and have a hard time at it.