By 1900, female shop assistants, or 'shopgirls', had become extremely important to the success of the draper's emporiums, not least because most of the customers were women. The best establishments often had upwards of 250 young ladies working for them; it was their job to dress the windows of their departments and deal with the customers when they came in.
When Mrs Belloc-Lowndes wrote her article on 'London's Drapers' for Living London (1901), she commented that:
"The best-looking young lady assistants are generally to be found in the millinery department; for human nature being what it is, many a middle-aged plain customer will the more willingly invest in a hat when she has seen it gracefully poised above the pretty face of the young lady who has been told to attend to her wants."
|'A cash desk' from Living London (1901)|
The busiest times of day were from 12 to 1 o'clock and from 3 to 5 o'clock which meant that meals for the shop assistants in the larger emporiums had to be staggered with five different times. Half an hour was allowed for dinner and twenty minutes for tea. It was more difficult to find time for meals when the bi-annual sales weeks just after Christmas and at midsummer were taking place.
|'Sale Day at Peter Robinson's' from Living London (1901)|
|'A Workroom in a Draper's' from Living London (1901)|
From the cash desk and shopfloor through to the workroom, women were vital to the success of the large drapery establishments. Take the opportunity to do some shopping in Victorian England and watch these talented females at work!