The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1918-05-17
WOMEN CONTROL
TOWNS DESTINY
Can Make Or Break z Community
Through Exercise Of Their
Buying Power.
they HOLD PURSE STRINGS
% 10 Estimated That At Least % Per
Cent Of Retail Purchasing 10
Done BY Feminine
sheppsra


rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules
the world and nowhere Is this more
literally true than in the world of
trade. The woman Is the purchasing
agent Of the household and man. a. q
rule. Is very glad to have her handle
the job.
It has been estimated by some stu
dents Of the merchandising game that
80 per cent of all retail buying is done
by women. This may be q high esti-
mate but a visit to the retail stores
Of any town or city IL enough to con-
vince one that the figures are not too
high. The preponderance Of women
among the buyers Is sufficient. at any
rate to make not only the retailer but
the manufacturer and the wholesaler
realize that 1t Is the women that they
must please with their merchandise.
Because they do by far the greater
part of the buying In any community.
the women have q responsibility that
they do not always appreciate. The
women of a town, through their buy
ing power, can make or break the mer-
chants of town and as q natural con-
sequence they can make or break the
town. 1t is In their power to make
1t a prosperous town or q dead town.
When the women Of . town acquire
the mail order habit. the town may
just as well begin making arrange
ments for its own obseQuieS.
Hard to Understand.
Just why woman, who Is q shop
per by instinct and q Shrewd judge
of values in merchandise, should sue
cumb to the lures of the mail order
house it Is difficult to understand but,
unfortunately, some Of them do. No
one knows better than the woman who
has had some experience In the buy
Ing Of merchandise how difficult 1t Is
to distinguish between the genuine and
the imitation even after q close inspec-
ton. The good shopper, when on buy
ing bent. does not always take the
first article that Is offered for inspec-
lion. In fact this Is the exception
rather than the rule. The merchants
know 1t and expect 1t. They expect
woman. II she is q good shopper. to
''look around q little"
II a woman should walk into a re-
tail store and purchase the first suit
that she tried on. for instance, the
shock probably would prove fatal to
the stOrekeeper or the saleswOman.
The chances are that she will try on
q dozen suits and look at as many
more before she selects one that suits
her taste or pocketbook. and the store
keeper not only expects but wishes
her to do this. He wishes her to be
satisfied as he knows that q satisfied
customer Is the best advertisement
that he can obtain.
Taking . Chance.
This same woman, however. may or
der q suit from a mail order house on
the strength of nothing more than
pretty picture and an alluring descrip-
ton. She has not even the OppOrtun-
ity to try 1t on. to say nothing Of the
chance Of examining the fabric. noting
the exact shade OF the material and
inspecting the workmanship. She Is
taking chances on the suit fitting her,
on the material being good and dur
able the shade becoming to her and
the workmanship of such q character
that the suit will not fall to pieces.
The woman who takes such chances
cannot be called q shrewd shopper.
1t might be more easily understood
why mere man. unaccustOmed and
averse, as q rule. to shopping excur-
siOns, should fall a victim to the cata-
lOgue habit. He might f1nd 1t easier
to order from the picture In the cata-
lOgue than to go to store and look
for the article that he wanted or he
might take the position that he
wOpl32nsar s111eameusGa2nat he Xcs- xottic0
!; !! :! : 80
knows that she Is getting what she
wants when she gets 1t should buy on
the 'sight unseen" plan-well. that's
another question altogether.
Woman's Greatest Opportunity.
Women are taking q more and moro
prominent part In public affairs all
the time. They are aiding now in
many parts Of the country In running
the affairs Of state. Even where they
do not have the ballot they are playing
u Ol& R0ISs 1nOAVAOO0AAy 00O t0IVOBu
their organizations, In the conduct par
ticularly Of local governments, yet In
the one field where they can do most |
to help build up their communities |
they may be overlooking their opp0r- |
tunity. With the buying power In |
their hands they can do more for their |
by stanchly supporting |
their home business men than they |
can possibly do In any other way.
Man may think he u Z very impOF. |
tant element In the progress and devel- |
opment Of his town but when he r.
fleets that 50 per cent Of the buying |
power Of the community h In the |
hands of the women he Il apt to real |
lie that he Is a very lnStgniflcAnt atom |
Aurphy's Groceries |
ARE BEST AND HE SELLS |
THEM FOR LESS. SEE
HIM REHf9RE RTIYTNG