Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-19
BARGAIN HUNTERS.
WOMEN WHO FALL AN EASY PREY
TO SHREWD DEALERS.

Paying Double Prices-Instances of
Their Expensive Judgment
OF Goods.
Yes, hunting bargains is part of a wo-
mans life. Nor is it essential that the
word bargains" in this connection should
apply strictly to shopping. Principally, if
not primarily, she desires bargain in a
husband-and who can blame her?-iust
as much as she does in dress and if,
perchance, week should pass over her
head without her being able to record in
her diary bargain of some sort, shewould
feel that she had lived in vain.
OF course, no woman ever pays an ordi-
nary price for anything, be she rich or
poor. Merchants understand women's
weaknesses in this respect, and while one
may say they are cruel to take advantage
of them, he can say with equal truth that
they would be cruel not to humor them.
Not every woman strives to deiude her
self, but certainly the masses do SO, and no
one knows this better than woman herself.
A striking exemplifcation of this fact
may be witnessed any day in millinery
store, where, as rule, woman deals with
woman. The woman who can afford it
will pay S25 for bonnet which, in all
reason, she should have secured for $40 or
Sl2; but if the saleswoman were to ask
her the latter figures she would turn up
her nose and walk away.
The manager of a well-known millinery
store relates a typical incident. One of
his best patrons desired a new spring bon
net, and in selecting the trimmings was
shown some point d'esprit lace.
"How much is this yard ?n she asked
holding up sample which she had been
examining for some time.
1.-TWO dollars" was the reply.
want something better" she said
giving the article careless toss to one
side.
The lady in waiting took one furtive
look at her only, but that was sufficient 10
obtain an accurate mental photograph.
Bringing out another box, containing pre-
clsely the same article and pattern, she
said:
:" 1 see you like that pattern. Here is
point d'esprit, exactly like that, but it is
the real article"
T." How much is that ?' asked the pur-
chaser, smiling.
"This is SO yard" was the reply.
" Fll take that" she said without further
parley
And she did take it, and paid $40
yard for it in preference to securing it at
81 a yard.
" want some good all-wool dress fan
mel" said young lady in dry-goods
store the other day.
An article was shown her. 1t was just
what she wanted.
"How much is that ?" she asked.
Forty-nine cents"
She turned up her nose.
"Fve got the same article for sixty
cents" said the proprietor, and he care
fully took down from the shelf another
bolt of flannel exactly like the first. He
carefully busted off the counter, and laying
the flannel down tenderly, said: 81 am
sure you viii like this; / see you are
judge of good article"
There, now," she said, almost before she
had time to feel of its texture, 81 like that
You say this is sixty cents"
Sixty cents"
well, you can give me twelve yards of
Here is purchaser in decorative art
store. She has a very Slight knowledge of
decorative art, and would as readily paw
Sim for -.
Sl00 one, but she affects to know all
about 1t. She asks for a royal Worcester
vase. One is shown to her-a little thing
for S25. She wants something better"
she says. The clerk smiles and produces a
500 vase.
Haven't you got anything else ?" she
asks
Certainly"
A 5000 vase comes out She looks at it
long time, wants to know if it is real,
and finally remarks she doesn't like the
work. Then the clerk takes another pen
etrating look at her and hauls down a
Venetian or Satsuma article worth about
S25. This is beautiful and catches her
eye, and her face lights up.
"Now, there" says the clerk, determined
to get rid of her, is the real royal Wor-
cester"
"lend what's the price of that" she asks.
see You are Judge of good article"
says the clerk, "and Pll make that to YOU
cheap" and then, pretending to carefully
examine the cost price, says: "Tll make
that to you for $780,"
OF course she takes it, and goes off cen
graduating herself that she has gotten a
bargain in royal Worcester.
But there is the suspicious woman, and
OF all creatures on earth she is the most
aggrayating to the inexperienced salesman.
She takes exactly what he doesn't tell her
to, and wouldn't dream of purchasing the
honest article which he, in his failure to
understand her, honestly recommends, and
he turns away with the mental determine
ton to never again try to give woman
the worth of her money. To the expert
enced salesman, however, this creature is
one of the most familiar of purchasers, and
he generally succeeds in selling to her ex-
actly the thing the house has been trying
to get rid Of for months by carelessly show
ing IT to her and then praising something
else. But how many women go into a
store without having the faintest idea of
what they want Here is familiar con-
versation:
81 want to see some dress trimming"
"What kind, please p,
''Oh, / don't know. Show me some
thing"
Seventeen kinds of trimming are finally
piled upon the counter.
"Well," says the would-be purchaser
y this Is none OF it exactly what / want.
Haven't you something else ?n
She is asked if she can't describe the
pattern she wants
''Oh, yes" she says, "of course. want
it like this" and, after all the trouble she
has occasioned the saleswoman, she draws
sample Of the very thing she wants from
her reticule, and moment later she has
found what she wants. But she came
there to feast her eyes, and she got the
overworked girl behind the counter to
spend fifteen or twenty minutes gratifying
her curiosity.
Bargain day." is productive of all sorts
OF annoyances. In large store the bar
gains are confined to only few Of the de-
partments, and the purchaser who does
not secure all she wants of thing, decid-
ing to come at another time and get more
if she needs it, generally gets left To
illustrate: A lady bought half-dozen nap
kins at a bargain. She concluded a few
davs after that thay xraro e,,,,f., ~.,J