The sun., 1903-11-08
THE WOMAN BUYER IN TOWN.
SIZE MAY HAVE A GOOD TIME,
BUT DOESN'T LOSE HER HEAD.
Efforts OF the Manufacturer to Make
Things Pleasant for Her-l.nrse sums
spent In Entertaining-When Rival
Buyers Meet-Shrcwd Business Women.

Buyers Meet-Shrcwd Business Women.
When the women buyers come to New
| York in large battalions there Is much more
doing in the town than at other times
! And all because New York manufacturers
are the most liberal in the world In their
business methods.
! "You must know said a man who, al
though neither man ufacturer nor sales
man, has been figure In the wholesale
| district for years with every opportunity
to know at first hand all the conditions
that New York is the Paris Of the United
States. Every store Of any account in the
country sends its buyers here.
"The largest cities send some buyers to
Europe, and they have to get their good
| times over there. But they or their en-
| ployers foot the bills. People in the dress'
cloak and millinery trade over there aren
| spending francs nor even sous to snow
| Paris by the pale absinthe light to any
| American buyers.
Possibly, not even probably, there
| might be gown or mantle for buyer.
| But entertainment, a lunch, drive in the
! Bois or seat at the Opera with little
supper afterward- never The Amerl-
| can who waited for it would grow very
, hungry. It's not the style In Paris.
| "But in New York--why, every manu-
| facturer makes an allowance for entertain
| ing. In the rush Of the season, particularly
| in the summer from the middle Of July to the
| 1St of September, a man Is expected by
| his employers to spend anywhere from
! s. to $50 day H. entertaining women buyers,
| The allowance even runs to hundred in
| rare cases and If there are results, why
| the firm doesn't mind, of course.
$50 you think the single salesman must
| have the call? Not bit of it. The single
salesman is no good TO firm as an enter
| tainer. He cuts it too short.
"The married man is the most successful
at it. The unmarried man generally has a
| sweetheart or an engagement. He doesn't
put enough spirit or time into it, A mar
| ried man thinks more of holding his place
! and satisfying his people and has all the
time he wants. So as rule they are most
| successful in that line,
"The majority of women buyers are OF
| Irish American or American extraction.
| There's a big responsibility on a buyer
and she's got to be mighty smart to spend
other peoples money for something other
women are going TO spend their husbands
money on.
-Just give them credit for that. No
absolutely inexperienced woman is likely
to be sent here. Once in a while, though,
an awfully green one does appear. For
instance. happen to know of woman
| from Virginia who had gone into the candy
manufacturing business.
"She came up to get pointers on holiday
trade. She was scared to death of fire.
| Lots of women are shy of skyscraping
hotels when they begin coming to New
| York This lady asked for and was as
signed 10 room on the first floor front.
an the morning down she came to the
Office and told the clerk she guessed she
wouldn't stay any longer. She didn't
care for a room with a ladder from the
| street up to her window. 1t turned out
| that she had sat up in chair until day.
light watching the fire escape. Now she
sleeps in the steenth rear and never &C
much as looks for man on a ladder
| "The woman buyer from the very fal
| West is apt to land here in the most joyous
earb and latest styles Peoria, H.. or Paw
| Paw, Kan, can produce. She hasn't hi,
| more than one sidewalk before she real
ICES she isn't quite it, and hurries to outfit
| herself anew.
when she has been here week or ter
| days she gets down to normal things. Al
! the end of two weeks or a month wher
! she presents her ticket for a homebounG
| punch she's ready to serve as mode
| New Yorker for her own home town.
What becomes of all her cast off glores2
Sells 'em to second hand men, she does
| Or more likely, sends EN- to the nearest
missionary society. for this lady is pretty
apt to be pillar Of her home church anc
leading light in the missionary society
herself when she's home.
| "The first thing woman buyer does
when she lands in town is to register al
her hotel. Her home business mail has
, been directed in care of the firms loca
Office or agent and there she pakes hel
| headquarters downtown.
But her first morning 9 mail at the hote
begins to make her imagine that she Is {
woman Of Importance, she's a CLOAK
buyer There are cards and advertise
ments of manufacturers Of 32s, 34s, 36s, Sss
and, if she comes from brewery section
48s, ASS and extra sizes especially.
Each day this mail swells with every
conceivable article she may or may not
want to buy, until the bellboy staggers W
with sacks on his back and pours letters
in every corner and under the bed.
IF there IL any question OF where she
|
more waiting to waylay her when she quits
the breakfast room at the hotel. The frs
one o get hold of her is going to steer he
straight away from any rivals until al
possible business in MS line h done
"Of course she is taken out to luncheon
First she wants to see all the people al
the time, ard then the manufacturer wantl
her TO understand she is being treatec
right
"Theres Miss s. from Albany owe
there with VI. She's buying 3ts to-day
Tomorrow you'd see her lunching with
rs manufactu.Cr.
"Seo W holding her up He's bus,
filing her car with what his wife has JUS
turned ont for the Horse Show. He wGnts
her to come over this afternoon. He's ont
of the shrewdest men on the financial en-,
| of the business and his wife, there with him
is one of the best cloak designers in til,
trade.
Tomorrow that brunette over ther
will be lunching with millinery man
She's been hero two weeks now, and She
been in here half dozen times to lunch.
"When a buyer comes often she usuall
devotes her days to business. and will luncl
or drive with entertainers from the house
she's patronizing, but her evenings arr
= pretty apt to be devoted to some particula
friend. A lot of marriages result, Of course
: But that kind of girl makes too good none.
! to rush into marriage unless she's Coin