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ONE MAN'S IDEA OF SERVICE
By W. F. FRENCH
T O 'have 'hustling business men
(Arop rn on him at unthought
of hours and demand that their
sadly neglected clothes be
whipped into presentable
shape in express time was a well formed
habit with Achterberg, the tailor. Day
after day they appeared. Sometimes it
was to have a suit pressed, sometimes a
seam stitched or a spot removed, a button
moved or a lining patched. Always
the service was necessary, the time short
and the demand urgent.
The smiling Achterberg didn't begrudge
the service—but it was strenuous
and mostly gratuitous. Good customers,
you know. But we'll have to give him
credit for looking at it from the business
man's side, through the eyes of the
fellow that is caught unprepared and
who faces embarrassment. It was tough
on them. Most of them didn't have any
idea when they might be called upon to
attend a meeting, dinner or business
conference, and they were universally
unprepared. Those with clubs nearby
were in better circumstances, especially
if they had a locker full of clothes on
tap. But, as a matter of fact, few of
them had.
"Now," reasoned tailor Achterberg,
"if I could just give those men the kind
of service they deserve I'd be the most
popular man in Chicago. Suppose, for
instance, that I furnished them valet
service, and took care of their clothes as
well. Suppose my patrons knew that in
an emergency they could come to my
shop, clean up and find fresh clothes
awaiting them. Suppose they could get
a shave right here while we were pressing
their clothes. Suppose—" but he
did a lot more than suppose—he took a
chance!
For a modest tailor to quadruple his
expenses in order to serve his patrons
hints of nerve, and the fact that this
93S
man's Service Club contains about eight
thousand dollars' worth of fittings justifies
the assumption that he took a big
chance.
The Service Club is incidental to his
big job of tailoring, but it is original
and interesting. This club contains
about three hundred individual lockers
with Yale locks, wherein the members
keep fresh linen and the like. It has
four private dressing rooms and four
private showers. It has a members'
clothes closet with a capacity of three
thousand suits. It has a manicurist and
barbers, and also a well-equipped shoe
shining parlor.
The cost of membership is two dollars
and a half a month and the privileges
are: all the clothes brushed and pressed
desired; all the shines desired—two a
day if wanted—all minor mending that
is needed, and the free use of showers.
For manicure and barber services a regular
charge is made.
Most of Achterberg's patrons are
members of the club and receive full
valet service. One does not have to be
a patron of his tailoring shop to join the
club—he figures that an acquaintance:
will bring the business.
As a usual thing the members keep>
two or three suits of clothes in the big
closet or wardrobe, safe in the knowledge
that they are always ready, pressed 1
and in perfect condition. The instant a.
suit is taken off it is brushed, pressed'
and hung in the wardrobe.
The value of this club to the average
business man is almost unlimited. To be'
able to dash into the "Service Club, at a
minute's notice, take a bath, change linen'
and put on a fresh suit of clothes (or
the same suit freshly pressed)—that is
worth while. It is a special boon to theman
that lives miles from his place of
business, the man who cannot "dodge"'
home and make a change.