FIVE AND TEN CENT STORES

Cleveland had in the fall of 1915 six large stores where nothing
costing over 10 cents is sold. These belong to three syndicates or
chains. To show the extent to which this business has developed it may
be stated that the largest of these syndicates, which controls three
of the six Cleveland stores, has 747 branches in different parts of
the country.

The number of saleswomen in a single store ranges from 12 to 70. The
total number in the six stores was approximately 226. The shift in
this branch of retail trade is large, as there are continual changes
in the selling force. One store reported the number of new employees
hired in six months as being about equal to the average selling force.

The managers of the five and ten cent stores without exception stated
that they preferred to hire beginners who were without store
experience. The hours of work are longer and the conditions under
which the work is done are more trying than is usually the case in the
larger department stores.

The girl who expects her application for employment in the five and
ten cent store to be accepted must be 18 years old in order that she
may legally work after six o'clock. It is better for her to be without
previous selling experience (unless in other five and ten cent
stores), as employers in these stores prefer to train help according
to their own methods.


WAGES AND EMPLOYMENT