possible goal.


NEIGHBORHOOD STORES

A neighborhood store is that type of department store which draws its
trade from a comparatively limited area of which the store is the
center. The kind of goods carried are practically the same as in the
large department store and the variety of merchandise may be nearly as
great; but the selection is more limited because of the small stock.

Promotion to selling positions is more rapid in the neighborhood
stores than in regular department stores. One reason for this is that
a larger proportion of the force is "productive," _i.e._, selling.
This proportion may run as high as 80 or even 90 per cent, as compared
with the 40 to 60 per cent of "productive" help in large department
stores.

Employment in these stores is looked upon as desirable preliminary
training for service in larger department stores. This is the general
opinion held by those who hire the employees in the larger stores. The
selling experience gained in neighborhood stores is looked upon as
general, in that it gives an acquaintance with a variety of
merchandise rather than an extensive knowledge of any line of stock.
This experience makes the employee adaptable and resourceful. Another
advantage of neighborhood training for sales people is the fact that
they are brought into closer human relations with the customer and
thus learn the value of personality as a factor in making sales.