Vintage Store Clerk Training Films
Training quality employees has always been a challenge as shown
in this collection of two films made 50 years apart.
The first film is The Troubles of a Merchant and How to Stop Them
(1917). This silent film demonstrates the troubles a shopkeeper
in the teens has due to trying to keep track of everything on pencil
and paper. The film shows the troubles the storekeeper has on a
day to day basis and how these problems cause loss of profits. It
then shows how a National Cash Register solves all the merchant's
problems and brings him back to profitibilty. This 33 minute films
is a fascinating look at early cash register machines and their
positive effects on stores.
The second film is The Front Line (1965). This color production
runs for 15 minutes and shows how grocery checkout clerks were trained.
A new checkout clerk is trained by three expert clerks in all the
ins and outs of working with customers efficiently and with a smile
on her face. The film is a good example of 60s culture and styles
and is an interesting portrayal of how markets operated before the
advent of barcodes and computerization and shows that the clerks
really had to be educated in their jobs back then as there was no
computer to rely on as there is today.
Here are some sample clips from the DVD
 
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