American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-02-12
Shopping.

Shopping.
| The commercial spirit is not peculia
| to men only, women, too, being Target
| impregnated with it. Though the latte
in a general way nave not much oppOl
tunity of selling in the dearest or an
other market, they are constantly show
ing that they are fond of buying i
the cheapest. They are much clated whe
they have made what they fiatter them
selves is a good bargain as is an Ara
guide when he imagiEes that he has sue
cessfully victimized an English tourist
Their love for getting things cheap find
an outcome, much to the delight of
number of enterprising tradesmen, in til
feminine occupation of shopping.
Now, the ladies go shopping in perfect
ly serious fashion, fully persuaded tina
they are superior to the lodges by which
smart tradesmen seek to entrap the un
wary. Unlike most men, who, whel
they go shopping, want il certain article
and therefore start upon their pursui
with IL Diet niie ifnri Csc, Icy are uniet
I, c't hy cun,;.,.ons. Without requiring
II ., thing in particular, they feel that til eS
will find a use for hundred articles, and
SO they glory in the circumstance tina
they have license. TO snap up anything
mon. Thus situated, it is but natural that
they should decline to go to work in
the humdrum way of the man who
standing in need of a coat, enters a tai
lors shop, and in five minutes comes out
again, having ordered what he wants
They are above selecting shawl
in five minutes, the task being an
important one, which, in their opinion,
must be performed without haste and
with due solemnity. Thus, when they
see a certain shawl which takes their
shopper would do, cry out: There, that
will just suit" They are superior to fall
ing into the folly OF such precipitancy.
They have come to see the greater por-
ton of the. MERGERS stock, and they will
do so, though they are perfectly assured
that they will return to the particular
shawl which has taken their fancy, and
which, with a view Of deteriorating it in
the eyes of the shopman, and thereby get
ting it a little cheaper than they might
otherwise do, they have spoken of with
well-feigned indifference. The assump-
ton is that they experience sweet joy
when they see shopman disarranging
his stock, and putting it apparently into a
state of hopeless confusion, perspiring
profusely, and looking unhappy mean
while for their delectation. Nor do they
shrink from telling the miserable man at
this is the GROWING part Of
the glory of their proceedingS-tha they
will think about the matter, and perhaps
purchase upon some future occasion. the
smile which plays upon their
lips as they depart should be sufficient
TO the shopman for what he
has suffered. 1t must not be understood
that he is disheartened, though his tenn
per may be sorely tried by this sort of
thing. He is aware that in nine cases out
he will be able to revenge himself upon
her, notwithstanding her cleverness.
1t has been said that the shopping lady
does not work upon system. Having
resolved that she will do days sbop.
ping, sue sallies aimlessly forth, deter
mined upon one point, however-to have
4 good rummage through more than one
So she wanders up and
down her pet street and scrutiniZes the
of her pet shops, shifting at the
price of this, and declaring that the price
Of the other is cheap. Having taken "A
general birds-eye view of the state of the
battlefield, she attacks the enemy-in
other words, she enters a shop. What
,an they show herr" is the query which,
he sapOnaceous human ornament of the
puts to her. Her reply is
vague, but it leaks out that
. they" can show her a great many things
and this is done. One by one "sweet
hings," "the greatest bargains ever Of
ered," and the latest novelties" are laid
before her admiring gaze. Then some
. sweet thing'-which she does no. want
inspires her with a feeling of admira-
ion, which is fermenteG by the wiles of
he crafty shopman. at is NICE" she
'ays, longingly. land so cheap" urges
ler tcmpter; " it would look WE'LL" She
nurmurs, land it would suit you SO
echoes the cunning one;
{ she really will think about buying it
,ome other time" she says, hesi,atingly,
,ut she will never have such Il
chance again, suggests Mephistophiles.
So the matter ends by her buying the
sweet thing" at a price at which the
radesman is really ashamed to sell it, and
The takes her departure in state OF tri-
lmphant delight. The shopman, not
her extreme cleverness,
BOWS her to the door with charming ur-
PANTY, and longs for another such GUS
omer. The transaction, however, does
lot satisfy her ardent nature, and she re-
umes her perambulations with the re-
ult that here she buys a gimcrack, there
mantle-unhappily at Il ruinous cost, as
hat of her rival, Mrs. Brown, quite into
he shade, and so on. 1t should be noted
hat notwithstanding her mania for get
ing things cheap, as she is perfectly well
ssured that certain things cannot be good
lnIess they cost certain figure, so she
,ften declines to buy grand things unless
hey are charged at a price commensurate |
With their grandeur. Fortunately, shop
,eepers generally are able to accommO-
late her in this little matter, and are kind
nOugh TO give practical effect TO their
appreciation of the fact that she cannot
lope to eclipse Mrs. Smiths five guinea |
,onnet except with work of art which |
las cost half as much again as that sum.
Gathering her bargains and sweet |
hings'' together, the shopping lady goes
lOme and there awaits her husband. To |
lin she shows her treasures and admir-
ngly invites his approval. That she |
ften fails to get it is perhaps due more to
weakness than the depravity of human
ature. Possibly, if he liked parting with
lis money as much as he loves getting it,
le would not look with disgust upon the
rumpery and expensive articles which
shopkeeper has foisted upon her;
nut rs it is he heaves many a sigh, and
says things which are not
conducive to connubial bliss. Knowing
lis weakness, she sometimes prudently
leclires to let him into the secret of the
ull extent of her transactions, and occa-
in order that her talents may not
he checked through paucity of resource,
he manipulates the domestic finances in
UGH marvellous manner that though he
'ecomes annoyed he is so mystified that
e cannot find ground Unreasonable com
'laint He is, however, led to regard
loomily the extraordinary cost of mere
Ii, fars. nj, ut
asst prove too much for him and he has to
ON nnund with his creditors and see