They proposed a labor union of retail clerks as the only possible resource.

Their effort failed.
The trades union idea at that time had not reached the girl behind the counter.

As a matter of fact it has not reached her yet, and it probably never will.

The department-store clerk considers herself a higher social being than the ordinary working-girl, and in a way she is justified.

The exceptionally intelligent department-store clerk has one chance in a thousand of rising to the well-paid, semi-professional post of buyer.
Also the exceptionally attractive girl has possibly one chance in five thousand of marrying a millionaire.