They hoped to get lucky and encounter a generous customer who would leave a tip for running errands. Meeting one or two such customers in a day could make their monthly income quite decent.
The young clerks, all in their teens, were clean-cut with neat appearances, agile and attentive, dressed smartly and refreshingly, naturally appealing to customers.
When young ladies who had not yet married came to buy rouge and face powder, they spoke a few words shyly, feeling too embarrassed to say much. They would often buy what they liked and leave without asking for change.
Even married young women, who were bold and uninhibited, would come to the rouge shop daily, not for anything else but to banter with these young clerks, throwing flirtatious glances that made the clerks blush, giving the women a day of joy.
