The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-01-24
Who Buy for the Sake of
Buying.

Buying.
Shopping" said an experienced
fioor-walker, sis to considerable ex-
tent habit, and l know many in
stances in which it has grown into
passion The remark is often made
that women come into these large gen.
eral stores and compel our saleswomen
to show them whole lines of goods out
of pure wantonness. l do not think that
such is generally the case. The pur-
chasers are seized with the buying
mania, that is all; and if they happen
to be out of ready money they feel
obliged to make-believe buy. / know
those customers tolerably well, and
can pick them out if L can only get
sight of them in the doorway. They
will enter sort of cast down, but bright
en- right up as soon as they get their
eyes on the goods. The sight seems to
act on them somewhat as a cocktail op-
crates on a man-it's a regular morn
ing stimulus. Women haven't the head
to stand against a genuine mark-down,
and if they can't buy themselves they
are bound to see other people buy.
"A man whose wife deals pretty
largely here told me last summer that
she had bought seventeen dress pat
terms 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
pair of new shoes of all kinds on hand
last winter, and only stopped buying
when her husband told her yarn
about woman being sent to private
asylum for doing such things A dozen
pair is not very strong, but two dozen
beats even Napoleon Ill, who had
twenty pair of boots when he was trap
ped at Sedan.
mo, l do not think the buying
mania is stronger than kleptomania,
but it is quite rs strong, and, in my
opinion, great deal more genuine.
Cases of true kleptomania are rare
'Is not kleptomania 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; have seldom known one TO steal
anything. The true kleptomaniacs,
however, act from an irresistible i'm
pulse which only breaks out occasion
ally. There are bogus kleptomaniacs
-'magpies, we call them-who tuck
away anything they can lay hands on,
but they are nothing more than
as to the number of shoplifters detected
in stores; we watch people closely now
adays.
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
handkcrchiefs at once, and even repeat
the act the following day. l under
stand that she is an excellent lady, who
is greatly beloved by her husband. He
once sold twelve gross of handker-
chiefs purchased by her at auction, and
his wife did not miss them. 1t is lucky
that he is 81 very wealthy man. As for
the stocking rage, they all have it.
Gloves used to be the great articles for
run, but stockings of all varieties are
now the craze. This has been the case
for q long time, but this year it is
stronger than ever. l do not think the
average woman is ever so entirely hap
py as when she is buying those articles.
The trade runs in streaks on stockings;
when we marked down those Isle
thread, silk-tinished stockings from 80
to 40 cents this house was stormed. We
had about 900 varieties of those goods,
varying from 20 cents to $3.50 a pair.
There is grade at $12, but we sell
few at that price. The affection for
stockings is very general among wo-
men. The rich buy three OF four dozen
OF half-dozen varieties, but I have
known plenty of women who were
hardly able to buy anything at all to
pay 75 cents or 81 for single pair of
stockings. would be willing to make
Il small bet that if woman felt her
habitual call to shop, and had but one
dollar, she would pass that amount in
at the stocking cosnter.
''Some ladies stake ttke ~ strongly to
white goods and keer Snmoderate
quantity on hand, but io'..S.,t a very
expensive taste. Those, however, who
indulge in multitude of hats, as some
of them do, have to pay heavily for
their fancies. You would not think a
dozen hats small number to buy in a
single season. Well, l have known
women to purchase thirty in that time.
All the women who have the buying
habit indulge in some leading article.
| 1t IS My when they CANNOT aHoru tnat
particular thing that they take to the
thread and needle business.
(Which are the most extravagant?
The lace-buyers, by all odds. If you
could contrive to look over some Of the
collection of laces in private hands you
would be surprised. There are women
in NewY ork who have laces to larger
amount than the average dealer is able
to keep in stock. Fans also are rage.
l know lady who has forty fans, but
somehow she doesn't manage to keep
herself cool with them"