The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-05
MISTAKES IN SHOPPING.
Women Always Buy What They Don't
Want and Then Exchange.
ION &c Phnadslphia Inquir

Want and Then Exchange.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer
Why is it that SO few women know how
TO shopi There Is no denying the fact that
! nine out of every ten are dismal failure in
this direction. If you do not believe this
just take a ten-minutes' stand by the ex-
change bureau of any of our big establish
ments and there you will find long inc of
| tired, diShea. teued-looklng women patiently
awaiting their turn To hand over to the tire
less CLERK some fatal mistake"
A hat may To of the reddest of red crepe,
which, tried on before deceptive mirror
in the Swallowed nook of the astute MILL
ner's department with the happlest effect,
has been found, when given a trial by the
| garish light Of madan's dressing ROOM
| capable of revealing in the most heartless
manner all of her worse points The shade
| Is found to be not the soft gerauium red
| thai gives such warm tinge to the salow
/ skin, but in its creepy folds lurx all the pur-
! pie tints of the currant; hue that even
/ the woman with alabaster complexion
| would hesitate to wear. Back il goes, and
| as she yields up what was only a short time
before a coveted prize, there steals over her
| face an expression of intense relief. Clutch
ing with eagerness the bit of paper that
| gives her the privilege of trying it again,
| she sails away, determined to buy in future
with a caution and discretion that will
| prove a sure safeguard against the blunderS
! of the past.
And the next. Peep into one corner of
| the box that she so carefully handles. ana
! you viii tiud fowers in tones SO vivid and
| so pronounced that they refuse in the most
| stubborn way to mix or mingle with any
| one of the shades to be found in nv ladY's
best gown. All this she knew full well
! when buying the treacherous blossoms, but
| led away by a species Of fascination uu-
accountable to herself, the "takiBg" spray
was purchased only to be, after the most
earnest endeavors to make it fit III some
| where, returned as a useless bit of finely
Nandyke collars and Elizabethan ruffs,
that refuse most emphatically to lend an air
| of prettineSs to the painfully scrawny ne k
| Gloves to be returned because in shade and
| hldeous contrast to the toilette vita which
| they are to be worn, mistake that could
have been so easily avoided by the aid of a
tiny sample of dress goods instead of trust
ing to the delu,ive hope of carrying the
color in the eye" Ribbons and velvets, by
the piece, all off shades. Shoes that have
such provoking way of collapsing in the
| privacy of ones home, notwithstanding the
| vigorous gymnastic exercise INDUCED in
when giving them a fair trial. hopping on
one foot, springlng forward on tins toes,
pressing, squeezing and prancing, until the
| smart" salesman wakes wildly enthusi-
l
all the time possessed of an uneasy sensa-
ton that she is being drawn into a whirl-
pool of despair by this torrent of e,oquence
which, somehow, she cannot resist.
Corsets entirely tool small the number
! having been reckleSslY guessed at. 1t Is in
| deed an enigma how some women are con-
| stantly allowing themselves to be plunged
into labyrinth of perplexities by their
total inability to remember measurements;
| women wonderfully bright in other things
seeming to verge upon positive stupidity ia
this matter.
When first these bureaus were instituted
| q sort of civil service reform" list of Ques-
lions most terrori2ing to the timd female
| were IN ORDER but the business OF this de-
partment has reached such mammoth pro
portions that the returns" are now rushed
| through and no questions asked, the most
| modest little woman bravey stepping to
the front and boldly deposlting articles of
every sort and kind from the costliest we'd
ding gift to the humbest bit of household
| furniture
Going shopping means to the average
! woman buying what she does not want and
leaving unbought tho positive necessities of
| life. Left to her own sweet win she is sure,
IN few hours, to commit errors SO grievous
that a seasons regretful efforts will not re-
pair the mischief done. just let her start
out with the intention of buying a gingham
!
will end by investing in silk. Wandering
amidst mazes of ribbons, laces and silks is a
delirious pleasure, for which we must pay
dearly unless guided by the most sensible
ard systematic rules for shopping.
This state OF things easily explains why
some women are always trying, to use a
| feminine expression, to catch up'' with
their work. Life becomes perpetual
| struggle, which soon shows itself in the
| careNOrn lines that are so often to he seen
upon the fairest faces.
/ What blessing to her family and to the
| community at large is the clear-headed,
| sensible woman who knows lust what she
wants and buys accordingly; fights shy of
| the bargain countar and auction room; does
| not consider anything cheap that she does
not need and scorns to struggle with p
hurly burly mob of people for the sake Of
securing an article for 3 cents less than the
regular price To shop with discretion,
| and follow the beacon light of economy is
to avoid the shoals and sandbars of extrav-
agance. Those who do not need to count
the cost of what they buy are in the minor
ity, and hence this matter of shopping shou d
be SO cultivated that it will become an
art. Indeed, it should be recognized as
part of a girls education to shop wisely
and well. Even the most careful of mothers
give this all important matter but little
thought. Music, art and the languages are
added toa substantial English education,
with, perhaps, few lessons in cookery
thrown in, but where is the teacher or
parent to be found who thinks it necessary
to SO train girl in the art of shopping that
she will be brought to consider thrifty
management not bore but most womanly
accomplishment, that, once acquired. will
bring with it delightful feeling of self
reliance.
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