One big department store which is favorably known among a large clientèle for courteous handling of customers depends upon its atmosphere to an enormous extent, but it realizes that atmosphere does not come by chance, that it has to be created. They have arranged it so that each clerk has time to serve each customer who enters without the nervous hurry which is the cause of so much rudeness. The salesclerks who come into the institution are given two weeks' training in the mechanical end of their work, the ways of recording sales, methods of approach, and so on, as well as in the spirit of coöperation and service. By the time the clerk is placed behind the counter he or she can conduct a sale courteously and with despatch, but there is never a time when the head of the department is not ready and willing to be consulted about extraordinary situations which may arise.
It is during the rush seasons such as the three or four weeks which precede Christmas that courtesy is put to the severest test, and the store described in the paragraph above bears up under it nobly. It did not wait until Christmas to begin teaching courtesy. It had tried to make it a habit, but last year several weeks before the holidays it issued a bulletin to its employees to remind them of certain things that would make the Christmas shopping less nerve-racking. The first paragraph was headed HEALTH. It ran as follows:
“If you want to be really merry at Christmas time, it will be well to bear in mind during this busy month at least these few ‘health savers’:
“Every night try to get eight good hours of sleep.
“All day try to keep an even temper and a ready smile.
“Remember that five minutes lost in the morning means additional pressure all day long.
“Try to make your extra effort a steady one—not allowing yourself to get excited and rushed so that you make careless mistakes.
“Try to eat regularly three good nourishing meals, relaxing completely while you are at the table and for a little while afterward.
“Breathe deeply, and as often as you can, good fresh air—it cures weariness.
“And don't forget that a brisk walk, a sensible dinner, an hour's relaxation, and then a hot bath before retiring, make a refreshing end for one business day and a splendid preparation for the next.”