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Show I ,i High Cost of Selling Burden on the Buyer The demand for luxury even In the transaction of ordinary business, writes James Truslow Adams In Harper's Har-per's Magazine, Is adding tremendously tremen-dously to the overhead expense of doing do-ing it and so to the cost of goods or services. Salesmanship has become Increasingly expensive. I was recently recent-ly talking with a woman who has an excellent salury (forming, of course, part of the overhead of her department) depart-ment) In one of the supposedly less extravagant shops. She complained of the expense she' was under because of the high standard of salesmanship demanded by her customers. Fifteen years ago, she said, if she had dared to appear in the costly clothes the house now makes her wear she would have been promptly discharged. dis-charged. She has to go to the theaters, thea-ters, know the latest plays and books, and be able to chat with her customers, custom-ers, not about her goods, but socially by the. hour. Her sales are splendid with prices according. |