Show r WOMEN WHO GET PAY FOR Professional Shoppers Employed Employed Em Ern to Spy Upon Suspected Suspected Suspected Sus- Sus Clerks GRAFT OF SALESPEOPLE r. r f r Check lulu to tu Slum Shun r 4 Incorrect Amount tho tle Difference t Into Clrk Clerks Clerk's Pocket J There here are nrc women that shop nearl nearly all ni nl da day long Ions ned and pay 0 for tor an anything any thing thc they buy but are arc pattI paid pall for Cor or doing this i I These women nrc professional shoppers ant are and and are arc employed ct b by a det teU de- de te- te t agency ogene and their tut duty duly is to SP spy U t l upon on the tho clerics In a store and ant make report to tho the chief chic executive rho Tho f 4 professional shoppers make up one of oC the most successful detective agencies in lii the thc country country country-an an agency regularly 1 em employed loyed by ly certain large stores throughout the United States 2 The rhe professional shopper never stays stars s. s IUlg twig long In ono place le lest t she Jose Jow her value by hy becoming known knowl to 10 the me men Und women women she Is IH employed to kee keean keep an eye ee on For or t two tO O Weeks perhaps n a I group o of or the thes-c thes e women shoppers wl will be engaged to make a canvass o 01 oi t a t tore store They will wH shop hop In 1 every depart depar department ment of oC the thc stove one day appearing in ft rich rih attire and purchasing heavily In expensive next dressIng dress dress- lug Ing IlS shabbily and making their pui purchases pur- pur chases from rm small smal hou household goods good Without appo appearing to do so tho they 4 J 1 have a sharp sharf eye yc on nil Ot the clerk while and anti make mak calculations ho makes make her s note If Ir th they y detect anything ou out of the va in he her actions One of oC these professional shopper went Into the hat hal department o of a State talo street store tore recen recently l and nl hough bought t tH u it H hat for 01 They rhey u usually buy c something at al an nfl n nott odd ott price so they wi wll The he b be sure ure uIe to gel get change chanEc gave o gu to the cl clerk k a 5 bill 1111 bil She Sho noticed noticed no no- that the cleric made mudo out a n chock check cuck for CO a a hat hal costing 29 sent Il It W with Ul the tlc 5 C to 10 the cash d desk sk fliRt and 0 iJ In chan change e with tho the returned check She he say gave tho lie 2 Cents change to the customer cus cus- tomer appropriating the 2 then manu managed ed to get gel the lie H. H 4 lS S hut hat wrapped S and ild delivered to the walling waiting waHns customer In Iii II some departments she would have hav S found fount thIN this Impo Impossible a as the wrapper would have ll e been wiser than lhnn to wrap tho the 48 98 lint hat on the tho 8 check Guard Against uil t cl In lii II some ore cases the lie saleswoman having II hay hav- ing big worked the same game ame will wi protect herself from discovery er b by correcting process the lie chicks checks This flits is a n very delicate It I Is necessary 1 to take the check that lint has hat been returned from rom the cash de desk lesk I. I place e Ik ill back exactly In its Is orl original Ir position In tho tim Jook so that it I will wi zest est with the figures directly over the figures on 01 the thc duplicate check with wih theS the S S carbon paper between Occasionally the saleswomen nomen bungle bungleS S In lu attempting to 10 correct checks chocks after ulel the oll original has been torn toni from Crom rein the lie book The They get ct the the new lew figures In iii Inthe II the wrong place on Mn the carbon copy that tia t tho the saleswoman iari is h. required cd to keep keet This of course is apt to arouse suspicion I fi S During a recent l tOur l' l of oC one of or the big I stores S another professional shopper shop shop- per Ci m made d dc a rt r purchase c In iii the lie trunk department de do- tc- tc buln buying a trunk for fOl 97 und and giving the tho salesman a 10 biho bill bi The ho shopper noted that thal the salesman out his hh check for fot trunk hunk a strap l' l price e 7 75 cents cent and when he got ol 95 from front the cash desk he the gave save customer cus cus- tomer 25 s C cents In change chanGe pocketing i n S the 9 The salesman took tool a big S risk when he attempted a u theft of or orthis this son because c the tho purchase was wasso sOI so tho the customer could not nol carS carry cary car car- cr- cr S ry Iy y aWa away It I had hal to be delivered d andIn arid and in order ordel to get got It 11 out tho the salesman had to give the delivery department deportment u check showing that lint u a. trunk had hadS S been sold sll for fOI 95 This Involved the erasure of or the word strap and the writing of the figure on both the original or or- and the carbon cop copy It I was a difficult Job but tho ho salesman acS accomplished ac ac- ac- ac S It I It only to be summoned S superintendents superintendent's office orce and conI confronted con con- I fronted with the proof of his guilt guit as ui I IS S as he ho had put through his I steal How ver However there are tO KO so mOi many checks check 5 tJ iu it the Uie of or if the tho department L stores hores that often ofen u It group IOUI O of or these detective de do dc- dc shoppers choppers will wl trade rato through a 1 store for Cor two W we ka and not ot detect detect de de- S heel a I vase case a e of or dishonesty tt Clerks Generally hottest Honest t I S Thc rite ho of or the thc big Ib S stores are ale unanimous In their declarations declara declara- i that the thc clerks S they employ Roe are J JS S almost invariably honest and ami that S their loss los from froni pilfering Is It comparatively S small There Is In every store 5 a system of rewards 1 whereby a n perS person per per- S son Hon detecting a clerk In ant nn dishonesty dishon dishon- esty olty IH is heavily rewarded Then too S i the the thc clerk cleak has hM before her or him him the fact that bitt If It sIte should be hc cau caught ht stealing she he not only would lose loso 1010 her position with wih the tho store In 4 which site sho 51 is employed hut but she would find nut it Impossible to get set employment with wih any un other othel storo loro In In the tho city Every employer makes inquiries of the thc t place llaco where whore a girl formerly worked S and I If her re record ord Is not clear refuses S to ens engage re her With these checks and aud the strict system employS employed employ employ- S ed cd In all ul the th stores there is slim opportunity upS op op- up- up f. f S for or dishonesty even where S the lie tendency exists There hero Is very I f S small possibility of or stealing mone money 5 thu he Il chief chlof temptation IH is to S goods and 4 oven ven there the thc chances o of S' S discovery el are ac so 8 great that the thc at- at is hi not often ofton oton made Whenever S there Is a it 1 sal sate of any valuable stock Klock S Ilk Ik like jewelry or ot I luc c jn there thelO Is always a fl J count at itt It the tho tw close cole of tho ho day to tos S s see beo c that Both nothing In bas ea bias disappeared oth oUI 1 S CT or 1 than what hn has been boon sold Mid r S Thc rho professional lote gets Well wel cl J yS paid ld for her hel Ih to compensate c S 'S her hm for roa never ne having the thc pleasure o of seeing her hel pur purChases purchase hall como homo h In Ink 7 k fascinating parcels She Sho gets gels ets a aS al l S S r regular g lul salary Crom from the tho I head td o of th the detective agency who Is paid a lump r awn Mim ur for rO two weeks weeks' shopping b by hi hisS his S detectives t t Odd Cent S System c Tho Thit odd edits t y r lom Is employed 5 5 1 by a a. u great groat grot ninny many of or the large stores 1 not so much for or its Is appeal to the I eager bargain hunter who seizes on a S'S article where situ she hc would pass pas it t S. S at at 2 as to keep tul tally vu on 01 the time clerks clerk 5 59 cents edits 38 58 coats and azid ald th the like i is charged for Cor articles thero there Is Is almost ulmot S sui sure ule e to be a demand for Cor change S necessitating latu the clerks clerk's sending to i. i 1 tho the cash dc desk k where a tally taly Is kept on the clerk allowing her scant chance to t tamper mp r with tho mono money S S S Every E cr store storo of oC an any size and Importance Importance importance import Import- ance has ha to employ a force torce of or de- de cy t however cr to protect from fromy rom f y shoplifters who nl are abroad In th theS the Ir 4 c S lund land In plentiful numbers anti will willbo wl bo be Je no doubt doubt as tS long as ns are arc shops and nUl women with wih Inordinate love of oC pretty things things' These heso store storo detectives de do- ct go about from counter to counter wearing no sign of oC their trade I I anywhere about thorn They have hav a I I good searching eye eyo and are pretty prett iII apt to spy out the Uw wrongdoer If It she he comes within her hel line lne of or vision They arc are both men and amid women these theo regular store detectives and tho they give ghe no thought to tho the clerks only to the tho customers customers The rhe clerks of or course come core to recognize and ant know them When then a detective spies out a n shoplifter shop shop- litter lifter he never accosts her In lii the store but follows her when she leaves heaves tho ho store and halts hals her on omi the street He lie Ie brings the tho thief usual usually through the back door Into the store a again and takes take her to the superintendents superintendent's office where she is made to confess confes and also to glo up her booty Cle Cleverness Cleverness- of oC There ThIo are systematic shoplifters to tobe tobe tobe be reckoned with wih by every cven store wo- wo won wen In whoso skirts capacious pockets are arc cleverly concealed and Into which i thc they can stuff such timings things ns nB lace robes and fur U collars eolan without an any apparent I difference in the hang hanl of oC their skirts skirts Th They go o Into the business as a profession pro Pro- PIO- PIO Ce lon and antI arc are usually as us clever at their work as the detective at his They sometimes ply their trade for 01 years ears before ho finds them but they Invariably Ir try their tricks once too oCten often often of of- ten and come to grief In the end Sometimes a n store detective e I Is over- over ardent artent In his task of or spying und and ant accuses an ami innocent woman who turns on him a sputtering volcano of or rage and ami Indignation naton Perhaps her umbrella um Iela has caught ht cau a bit hi of or lace or 01 a pair pall o of stockings s in pas passing a n counter und and th the tho article has slipped down Into Its Is open pockets The detective discovering the circumstance may think the tho ac act Intentional when the woman I Is en entirely en- en unconscious of or her hel newly ed oil possession lon The Thc detective has to have hav read ready some seine very clever apologies before he ho is allowed to escape unharmed unharmed un un- un- un harmed from lI m the lie wrath o of the accused When hen a person Is Js suspected the floor floo floorwalker walker Is often oren notified I b by tho detec- detec th tire live and makes males It St evident ti to the weman woman woman wo wo- man that she is being watched by following her about In her rounds Every ll lar largo large store has frequent evidences evi ev- deuces dences of penitence on oil the part o of shoplifters In the time way o of letters leters containing con con- taming mone money that lint come core constantly In iii their malls There Is usually no explanation with iitti these these- these loters loiters letters Just a word or two tuo to tell lel the purpose Conscience Conscience Con science money frequently the mOlcy arc only words that hat accompany them In some sonic ai articles tides Ucles themselves are ale sent back halk to 10 ease pricking eon consciences Chicago Chronicle I |