Pueblo chieftain., 1921-12-21
CIGARETTES AT THREE PRICES

Take for example. such a preponder-
antly male trade as that in tobacco.
The most surprising variation in the
prices charged for the same article is
observable. In this city. for example,
there is certain brand of cigarettes
which may be purchased at IT. IS. or
20 cents box. There are Just about
as many places selling them at one
price as at either of the others But
all places seem to be doing an equally
good business in them. 1t would seem
that the cigarette smoker buys where
he is accustomed to buying and that a
saving of Is per cent is not enough to
induce him to change his habits. In
this case. there is not much to induce
the retailer to lower his price. II a
low price brought a flood of trade and
nigh price produced prompt boy
cott, 1t Is extremely proba BILE that the
average of retail prices would fall
IN another case n brand of tradc-
marked and nationally advertised
khaki trousers. widely used by sports
men, was priced at three different
stores. The prices were $780, s6.25, and
s..V. Likewise. n largo hardware
store wanted $3.50 for a certain hand
AK. which is trade-marked. A smaller
place sold the same tool for 81 65, II is
safe TO say that many more of them
are sold at the higher price than at
the lower.
sporting girls are an Instructive IL
iustrat,on OF the shopping habits OF
inen- Ihese goods are bought almost
exclusively by men. There are about
GOO such men in this country who
go afield. and the industry which On
tors to their wants is large one. II
supports. in n typical city of half "A
fliinon people, five or six stores dc
voted exclusively to such goods Tho
prices charged for these goods vary
from 10 TO 80 per cent. The leading stor,
on the principal retail street sIway,
gets more for exactly the same article
man the little store up side Hrcct.
rpIthermore. a reel which sells for s.,
IN tne spring Is only $3.50 In the fall,
put very few are sold in the fall,
Tho average sportsman spends nrob
aoiS at least half again as much As he
need spend for his equipment. He is.
IN iact. about as careful as small
boy in candy store. His outdoor life
represents the Kid side OF his nature
anyway. When he sees some shining
bit of equipment that he likes I'm p
WINDOW hs runs In and buys IT. with.
out question tho he may pay so DER cent
more than Is necessary. But n rise of
cent In the price OF gasoline will AL
ways get howl OF rage out of him.
whiic to mention the prices women nav
i"i .iotncs IN his presence Is to inspira
phiIlipic NP"
ihn women as n matter of fact ara
much better shoppers than the men
and as result tho prices charged for
.ne thinSs they buy exclusively are
nueh more uniform than those charged
mr strictly masculine goods II hn.
boon noted thnt stores catering 10
women usually run in groups OF tbreo
mat is, thcrn are usually at least three
stores in a city which carry vomon.
cloaks. and larger places are likely Ia
nav, nave three stores of each distinctive
Gr. ntNo sr@l.
ne rchsob for this is that a wor,nn
about TO make n purchase will us,nuv
price tho desired article in at least
,hree places and then buy in the cheap-
cs, market, whereas the man will prob
anly buy In the first place he enter,
u me salesman there knows his busi-
WOMEN DETERMINED
~ Is also easy to sec that n ,.o,,,,
VIII 'akc moro trouble to mako her
purchases. In department stores III,
mems furnishings arc always on Tho
iirst floor. They have to he. Men viii
~. 20 10 an upper floor in search OF
what they want. But tho women's
FURNISHINGS are always on an ,Innor
.'"or' while tho first floor ia devoted
7" a lot OF small articles that every,
woman needs, so that she viii sec them
and buy them In passing.
pcspitc nor greater determination
n 4
cannot be said that the woman ro,pcs
OF much better than tn. rnnn in tbc
buying oa ready-to-nvear clothes ON
the other hand. wcmen's clothes gem
orally seem TO he a little higher chan
mems. There are two PRINCIPAL rea,
ons Tor this. In the first place, woman
" good deal more slave to fashion
than man. she must have the latos;
thins right away. no matter what IL
costs Likewise tho merchant must
sell the latest thing while IL 10 s,iiI
late. or never. what is left over is
mostly loss. So he has to charge a
high price.
Mems styles in suits change every
year. but thsre are few men who he=i-
tate to wear a suit three ycars old IL
II is siill in passably good condition
Men who bug tailored clothes usually
have them cut by tho same patterns
year after year. Tho tailor may intro
ducc soma minor changes ms concee-
sion To fashion. but the average man
is "A conservative In that matter. Fur
thermore. IL tho price is too high. "a
man viii not buy at all. lie will make
the old suit do. Hut not 81 woman.
She must have n new one.
There are many different factors In
the making nf high retail prices. but
mans Ia yir,peS and y,pr,au.s x,,,f,v 49,.