Tray vendor
A tray vendor (French reformed: Vendeuse d'plateau) is a Gylian occupation that involves selling or providing items from a tray held by a neck strap. The profession is widespread in nightclubs, restaurants, bars, arenas, stadiums, concert halls, theatres, cinemas, and other indoor facilities, and is well-established in Gylian society.
History
The profession of tray vendor first appeared in Alscia. It emerged out of the province's urbanisation, and appeared in nightclubs. From there, they spread to other establishments and became well-established among the general public, frequently appearing in films and gauchic art.
Tray vendors remained active in the Free Territories, where the profession began to overlap with merchants. To distinguish themselves from merchants, tray vendors began to adopt distinctive burlesque-style uniforms. The profession was also de-genderised, while preserving its feminine aesthetics.
Following independence, the profession thrived, helped by its identification with demopolitan ideals and the Institute for the Protection of Leisure's restrictions on self-service.
It is one of a number of professions that provide patterns of civilised sociability to thrive in Gylias, including elevator attendants, tea servers, filling station attendants, telephone operators, and paid dance partners.
Current role
Elevator attendants are found in Gylian indoor and outdoor facilities. They sell or provide items to clients from a tray held by a neck strap. They can also greet clients at the entrance to a building, make announcements, provide information, and engage in conversation.
The profession is prized for its role in maintaining a good atmosphere and providing sociability in buildings. It serves as a replacement for vending machines.
Tray vendors receive extensive training in public speaking, social graces, and grooming, and are known for their smiling demeanour and stylish uniforms. The most common uniform is a red saloon-style skirt with a matching pillbox hat and gloves.
Tray vendors are known for cultivating an image of old-fashioned glamour evocative of Alscia. Tipping being illegal in Gylias, many of them are also registered as sex workers, and can provide companionship and flirtatious conversation with clients in exchange for non-monetary rewards, similar to host clubs.
In popular culture
The profession of tray vendor is widespread with strong public support, and thus well-represented in Gylian popular culture.
Tray vendors are commonly depicted with a focus on the charisma and glamour that the job entails. They tend to feature heavily in demopolitan works, or genres such as orgone films and telefoni bianchi films.
They also appear in numerous pornographic works, which mainly eroticise their clothing or concentrate on the specific brand of glamour cultivated by the profession.
Many Gylian actors and models worked as tray vendors among their first jobs, or moved into acting and modeling as a result of being noticed as tray vendors.