Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-29
MEN BARGAIN HUNTERS.
They Are Invading Province Hitherto
Exclusively Woman's.

rom the New ORR tribune.
Even as the new woman has achieved
success in pursuits half century ago con-
sidered fit only for the labors of man, so he
who may be termed the new man is invad-
ing those spheres in which woman exclu-
sively has hitherto held unchallenged sway.
Chief among these, and perhaps the most
noticeable, is bargain hu. g. Indeed, it
has come to pass that the jokes and comic
pictures wherein the rush of the female
hosts on the bargain counter is depicted as
a fray equaling in fierceness and danger TO
life and limb in foot ball game between
two rival colleges applies with equal justice
to similar onslaughts by men on heaps of
goods, which dwindle rapidly under their
eager buying.
Quick to notice the awakening and grad
ual growth of the bargain spirit in man. the
department stores and big clothing houses
which sell all the articles that go to make
up mems apparel have taken advantage of
the opening, and today one finds almost as
many advertisements in the newspapers tell
ing of big reduction sale in shirts, neck
wear, shoes, underwear, stockings, hats
ETC., as he does announcements of special
sales of garments and frippery which set
the heart of woman fiuttering. Like his
wife or sister, the bargain hunting man
seeks the advertisements when he first
picks up his paper. He passes by the war
news with snort of Impotence. Disasters
on land and sea, financial crashes, news
important and unimpOrtant-he views with
lack luster eye. But when he reaches what
he seeks! His eyes light UP with the glare
seen only in those of the bargain hunter
and he revels and gioats' over the letters
and figures which tell him that 81 and s.
shirts are on sale at a certain store for 81 ;
that a sample lot of stockings made to re-
tail at 30 and 75 cents are to be had for
% cents pair. He swallows his breakfast
in gulps, perhaps goes without 1t entirely
and puts his coat on as he runs for his car
He reaches the store, and IL he Is one of
the early birds finds no difficulty in finding
worm suitable to his size. saWith his pack
age under his arm, he haStens away, his
face revealing his satisfaction and glowing
In anticipation of the triumph he will enjoy
when he shows his purchase at the office
saying: ''See that So shirtf 1Cost me a dol
lar" So quick to appreciate s"good things
In bargain sales are men that the sale of
marked-down stock seldom aasts more than
two days A crowd of men around bar
gain counter does not chat land argue and
fight over a desired article as a similar
crowd of women wouldisdOsf The man gem
orally has his mind made up beforehand
what he wants, and Vhana he sees it he
takes It and that's allythere is to it. 1t
must be confessed, though, that he displays
not little envy when NE secs another get,
through his nearness to- the counter, that
which he had his eyeifDn,sfbut could not
reach. Perhaps IL theyI hadsthe time they
would paw over piles ofogeods. change their
minds dozen times and drive the clerk to
distraction, as women do but 1t is fact
tnat the man bargain hunter, as a rule,
wastes little time in preliminaries. But,
like women, he pushes and crowds. walks
on his neighbors feet. digs elbows into his
ribs and. in general. is no respeeter of per-
son in his efforts to get near the counter.
In the fact that at mems bargain sales
the large sizes are disposed OF first lies a
problem? Are big men more susceptible to
attacks from the bargain microbe or are
there more big men than there are little or
medium sized? On the second day of q
shirt sale, for instance, the advertisement
tells you that only sizes 10 to IA are left.
II it's clothing bargain you read that
about all there is left is sizes from 80 to 36;
If it's stockings, only he who wears a 3,
93z or 10 can be fitted.
One might think the man bargain hunter
would be ashamed of his propensity, but he
Isn't On the contrary, he's proud of it,
and displays his purchases with pride. Not
only this, but he urges his friends and co..
workers likewise to become bargain hunt
ers