On Hardware and Me

Submitted by Helen Roser

The excitement was breath-taking. I had hired to work in a store! I would earn twenty cents an hour working at S.S. Kresge 5 and 10 on Saturdays.

Saturday store hours were from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an hour off for lunch and another hour off for supper, for which we were not paid. We reported for work at 7 a.m., for an hour of counter preparation and an hour of Salesmanship class. It was usually 10:30 p.m. before we could leave. Rules were that we could not take down the signs, cover the counters, or take the cash out of the registers for pick up nor leave our counter as long as one prospective customer was in the store. It was during the Depression and you did not turn away possible cash customers.

On Saturdays nights, I received two whole dollars in my pay envelope. I had only had to work ten hours (that counted) for it and I had a job and I was learning hardware.

On the exciting day I was hired, the manager told me: “Miss Newman, report to Hardware.” I said; “Yes, sir” and, when he had left, I asked one of the older girls: “What is hardware?” She groaned and said: “Oh, you poor thing!” and pointed at the counter at the back of the store.

An angelic, warm, cheerful young widow was in charge of Hardware. She told me: “You will love it! Hardware is fun! If there is anything you don’t know, just ask me! There is your first customer now!”

Courteously, I asked: “May I wait on you, sir?” Loudly, he replied: “Yes. I want a rasp.” I turned to the angel: “Miss Boycourt….?” The next customer wanted a turn-buckle.

As the angel has predicted, I came to love hardware and knew every item and how to use it on our counter from reading every box and card and asking the angel copious questions.

One Saturday night, an old-timer who had been hanging around the counter, watching me, finally approached me and smiled and said: “You know, I believe you could sell an Eskimo an ice box.” Maybe! And why not? I loved hardware and I was earning twenty cents an hour (that counted).