WOMEN CUSTOMERS—BY A DRAPER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22391, 12 October 1934, Page 16

WOMEN CUSTOMERS—BY A DRAPER

The folly of judging women customers by their dress was commented on by Mr C. R. B. Chiesman, of London, when addressing the summer school of the Drapers’ Chamber of Trade at Oxford yesterday. “ Because a woman is poorly, clad,” he remarked, “ it does not follow that she requires cheap goods.” Mr Chiesman, who speech was on the art of selling, said the first qualification of the salesman was the study of human nature —to be able to know either by a glance or from conversation the type of customer he had to deal with. His aim should be, not to foist goods on a customer or necessarily try to sell the highest-priced range, but rather the supplying of a customer’s wants with the utmost expedition, courtesy, and satisfaction. In correspondence such phrases as "Re yours of the 25th ultimo,” “Adverting to your letter,” and " Yours to hand ” should be relegated to the past and replaced by language nearer the real intention of the letter writer. Had they reflected on the psychology of a well-addressed or labelled article? now many men had bought chocolates or j>erfumes for the fair sex because the label or packet had made a definite appeal? Mr P. A. Best, of Gerrards Cross, in a reference to the old days of the drapery trade, told a story of an apprentice who worked for a religious proprietor. “One day,” said Mr Best, “ a lady wanted a Spanish lace shawl. The apprentice showed her one at £3 3s. The price was not high enough, so the apprentice took the shawl, disappeared behind the counter, wrapped it in tissue paper and in a separate cover, and, with a bland smile, reappeared and remarked, ‘ How fortunate, madam, we have this one of much better quality at £5 ss.' “ The proprietor, who saw the transaction, told the apprentice that if he could not justify his action by a quotation from Scripture he would be sacked. The apprentice replied, ' She was a stranger, and I took her in.' He kept his job.”