Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-11-28
THE /" SHOPPING " MANIA.
Obervaiions of Floor Walker" on Women
Who Buy for the Sake of Buying.

The remark IS often made that women
come into these large general stores and
compel our saleswomen to show them
whole lines of goods outof pure wanton'
ness. do not think that such is gen.
orally the case. The purchasers are
seized with the buying mania, that is all,
and, If they happen to be out OF ready
money, they feel obliged to make be-
lieve buy. [ know those customers
tolerably well, and can pick them right
out if l can only get a sight OF them N N
the doorway. They will enter SOFT OF
cast down, but will brighten up az soon
as they get their eyes on the goods.
The sight seems to act on them some
what as q cocktail operates on man;
it's a regular morning stimulus. WO-
men haven't the head to stand against a
genuine mark down, and if they can't
buy themselves they are bound 20 see
other people buy.
"a man whose wife deals pretty large
" here told me last summer that she has
bought seventeen dress patterns in two
months, and had only had three of them
made up. He said the habit ran in his
wife's family. Her sister, it seems, had
about two dozen pairs of new shoes of
all kinds on hand last winter, and only
stopped buying when her husband told
her a yarn about 8 woman being sent to
q private asylum for doing such things.
4 dozen pairs Is not very strong, but
two dozen beats even Napoleon I'LL,
who had only twenty pairs of boots when
he was trapped at Sedan.
"No, I do not think the buying mania
is stronger than kleptomania, but it is
quite as strong, and, in my opinion, q
good deal more genuine. Cases of true
kIeptomania are rare.
''Is not kleptomania a result of what
you call the buying mania?" asked the
reporter.
mot by any means. The two cases
are entirely different. The chronic
shopper has the habit of buying, that's
all; I have seldom known one to steal
anything. The true kleptomaniac, how
ever, acts from an irresistible impulse
which only breaks out occasionally.
There are bogus kleptomaniacs-m mag
pies, we call them-who tuck away any
thing they can lay hands on; but they
are nothing more than thieves. People
exaggerate somewhat as to the number of
shop-lifters detected IN stores; we watch
people closely nowadays.
"The worst cases among those who
have the buying mania well developed
are the specialists. A woman used to
come in here who would buy six dozen
handkerchief5 at once, and even repeat
the act on the following day. [ under
stand that she is IN excellent lady, who
Is greatly beloved by her husband. He
once sold twelve gross of handkerchiefs,
purchased by her, at auction, and his
wife did not miss them. It is lucky that
he is a very wealthy man. AS for the
stocking rage, they all nave it. Gloves
used to be the great articles for run,
but stockings of ali varieties are now the
craze This has been the case for long
time, but this year it is stronger than
ever. [ do not think the average woman
is ever so entirely happy as when she is
buying those articles. The trade runs
In streaks on stockings; when we marked
down these lisle-thread, silk-fnished
stockings from so to is cents this house
was stormed. We have about 900 varie-
ties of those goods, varying from 20
cents to So 80 per pair. There is a
grade at S12, but we sell few at that
price. The affection for stockings is
very general among women. The rich
buy three or four dozen of q alf-dozen
varieties, but [ have known plenty of
women who were hardly able to buy
anything at all to pay rs cents or 81 for
a single pair of stockings. [ would be
willing to make a small bet that if
woman felt her habitual call to shop,
and had but dollar, she would pass
that amount in at the stocking counter.
Some ladies take very strongly to
white goods, and keep an imlnoderate
quantity on hand, but it Is not a very
expensive taste. Those, however, who
indulge In a multitude Of hats, as some
Of them do, have to pay heavily for
their fancies. You would not think
dozen hats small number for lady to
buy in a single season. Well, [ have
known women to purchase thirty within
that time. All women who have the
buying habit indulge in some leading
article. It is only when they cannot
afford that particular thing that they
take TO the thread and needle business.
" Which are the most extravagant
The lace buyers, by all odds. Ii you
could contriVe to look over some of the
collections in laces in private hands,
you would be surprised. There are
women who have laces to a larger
amount than the average dealer is able
TO keep in stock. Fans also are rage.
[ know a lady who has forty fans. but
somehow she doesn't manage to keep
herself cool with them"