The Washington herald., 1915-10-08
WHAT DO WOMEN READ?

When a woman opens daily paper
what does she read?
First of all she reads the first page
news. This especially holds good of
Washington women who, Miss Janet
Richards assures us are, Of all women
in the country, the best informed on
matters of current import.
Then she reads some special de-
partment in which she is interested
household, fashions. suffrage news or
society.
And then she reads the advertise
ments. If you notice the women in
the street car, the women in your
home. you will notice this to be the
fact. But why do they always make
1t point to read the advertisements?
Because advertisements, to the
woman who has much or little to
spend, are among the most impor-
tant news features of the paper. If
they are what advertisements should
be they contain not only the most
up-to-date store news, but the most
up-to-date fashion news as we'll. The
men and women who direct the big
mercantile undertakings of the city
keep in closer touch with fashions
than even the fashion reporters them
selves. Their buyers are in the large
fashion centers constantly. If there
is anything new in the realm of
clothes or household matters they are
first to know it. So really it is no
wonder that women read the adver-
tisemcnts.
Il would much rather know that a
certain shop in town is going to have
a special showing OF new millinery,
or that another one is presenting the
newest fall footwear" said typical
all-around Washington woman the
other day. than to know that little
Willie Smith out in Anacostia swal-
lowed a buttonhook or that Mr..
Brown, of Rockville, shot his neigh
bor's mad dog"
The idea used to be that the wom-
en- who read the advertisements re-
ligiously were bargain hunters, and
that bargain hunters were foolish
that they were the easiest kind of
prey to the merchant eager to make |
Unfair profit on his wares But there |
arc bargain hunters and bargain
hunters just as their are bargains and
bargains.
The woman who always demands
bargains. who is never willing to buy
unless She thinks she is getting mer-
chandisc below cost or at sacrifice,
l., OF course, unfair. She expects the
stores to be charitable organizations
instead of institutions where other
1nen and women can earn an honest
living. And, OF course, she always
keeps the temptation in the wsy of .
merchants TO claim to offer some
thing for nothing" when they really
are not.
But the day OF this kind of bargain
hunter is going, and the day of the
something for-nothing" bargain is
gone. The bargains that remain are
for the most part the sort that are
incidental to any mercantile under
taking.
Take remnants for instance. In
the sale OF goods by the yard there
arc. in nine cases out of ten, a few
Yards OF the piece OF goods lett over
after the dress lengths have been cut
off. Even with the best salcspeople this
is bound to happen. These pieces of
various short lengths are hard to dis !,
pose of for the reason that they are
too short for ordinary purposes. The
is willing to dispose OF them
At a figure per yard that would be
ridiculous for the original sale Of the
goods. And there arc always women
who can make good use OF these odd !,
lengths if only they arc informed of
the fact that they are for sale. These
are legitimate bargains. And when a
merchant makes known the fact that
he has such pieces for sale he is pub
fishing store news that is OF impor-
tancc and OF interest to women.
FRIENDS MAY USE PHONE.