Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-01
WOMEN AND BARGAINS.


Rlain Talk from = Woman About Fall
ing That Is Very Prevalent.
Men have their bad points, no doubt
I've never studied them. But they GER
tainly have one characteristic trait wor-
thy to be commended and copied. re-
fer to the way they make purchases.
Every one knows how women buy, and
that no woman under the sun is ever
satisfied with anything less than a "bar-
GAIN"
really think this bargain hunting has
produced spirit of gambling, and that
women are responsible for the disgust
ing variety and outrageous number of
shoddy goods, glass diamonds, pinch
beck ornaments and vulgar limitations
and faring cheats of all sorts that are
placed upon the market today. They
have created a demand for bargains, and
it is impossible to conceive of the manu-
factories turning out anything more alb
surd and unneeded than we already
have.
To woman a bargain means the pur-
chase of something for half its price or
less. What is this but gambling? If the
article is up to the standard it must be
worth a certain price, and if less is paid
for it either the thing itself is cheat or
some one has lost by the transaction.
Bargains are deleterious in another
way. They cause by their delusive cheap
ness careless and reckless expenditure.
and engender spirit of dishonesty. This
is the tendency, with an ever increasing
greed for more and greater bargains.
Nearly all women agree that men are
extravagant. Men will pay seven dol
lars for shoes, when three dollars will
buy pair which ''look just as WE'LL"
five dollars for hat, when woman
can "bunch UP" her best Sunday hat for
q dollar or two; and as for mans clothes,
why, one suit costs as much as awoman's
three best dresses, bonnets thrown in.
This does sound extravagant when you
apply the 'deadly parallel" to it, but if
there is one thing ! admire about man
it is the decent and self respecting price
he pays for things.
A woman goes out to buy pair of
shoes; she fritters away whole day buy
ing bargains which could not be resisted,
and comes home loaded with them. But
the shoes? Oh, yes, she has the shoes
bargains, also, of course. Regular four
dollar boots," she will explain, with an
accent of proud certainty. Then she ex-
hibits her bargain laces and her summer
goods bought in winter, and slows them
away with smile of satisfaction, just as
though there would come ere long bar
gain famine.
Again she congratulates herself as she
thrusts her dainty foot into the bargain
boot. But see the result: The pretty
looking shoes have lost their shape with
few wearings. and are beyond recogni-
ton in about half the time that the
genuine four dollar boots would have
lasted. Then, when the young summer
has come, and every breeze which stirs
the small green leaves suggests laces and
draperies and all kinds of dainty, flmy,
huttering things, the other bargains are
brought out. But they look so different
now! They are out of style, or the win
dows are now full of newer, cheaper and
prettier articles; and altogether she
wishes she did not have them, and won
ders why she ever bought them.
Ihave seen we'll to do families of whom
not a member ever appeared well dressed
except the husband and father, and the
reaeon was obvious-he bought his own
clothes, and eschewed bargains. I am
glad that men stand their ground in this
matter, and scorn a bargain counter;
otherwise, our homes might be hollow
and rickety and cracked and unreal and
cheap. The fact is, men become disguised
with SO many bargains, from the half
price toilet soap to the wife's tawdry
jewelry; and SO when they go to buy,
they simply ask for the worth of their
money, and are willing to take some
body's word for it besides.
When will women learn that it is al
ways economy to buy the best? 1t lasts
longer, is in better taste and is in every
way more satisfactory. 1t is childish to
buy things just because they look well;
children prefer tinsel to gold if it glitters
more, but women are supposed to have
put such infantile ideas.
Andrews Oldham in Kate Fields Wash
inot0n