Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1922-03-02
WOMEN CONTROL
TOWNS DESTINY
Can Make or Break a Community
Through Exercise of Their
Buying Power.
They HOLD PURSE STRINGS
st ls Estimated That at Least 80 Per
Cent of Retail Purchasing Is
Done by Feminine
Shoppers.

Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union)
It has been said that the hand that
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, as
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 a high esti-
mate but visit to the retail stores
Of any town or city is enough to con
vince one that the figures are not toe
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 it 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 responsibility that
they do not always appreciate. The
women of a town, through their buy.
ing power, can make or break the naer-
chants of town and as natural CON
sequence they can make or break the
town. It is in their power to make
it q prosperous town or a dead town
When the women Of a town acquire
the mail order habit. the town may
just as well begin making arrange
ments for its own obsequies.
Hard to Understands.
Just why a woman, who is a shop
per by instinct and shrewd judge
of values in merchandise, should sue
cumb to the lures Of the naail order
house it is difficult to understand but
unfortunately, some of them do. Nc
one knows better than the woman who
has had some experience i'm the buy
ing Of merchandise how difficult lit IL
the imitation even after close inspec
tton. The good shopper, when On buy
Ing bent, does not always take the
first article that Is offered for inspec'
ton. La fact this is the exception
rather than the rule The merchants
know it and expect 1T. They expect
woman, If she is good shopper, tc
'loOk around little"
If a woman should walk into q re,
tail store and purchase the first suit
that she tried on, for instance, the
shock probably would prove fatal tic
the storekeeper or the saleswoman
The chances are that she Will try or
a dozen suits and look at as many
more before she selects one that suits
her taste or pOeketbOok, and the store.
keeper not only expects but wishes
her to do this He wishes her to be
satisfied as he knows that satisfied
customer is the best advertisement
that he can obtain.
Taking a Chance.
This same woman, however, may or
der a suit from q mail order house on
the strength of nothing more than q
pretty picture and an ailuring descrip-,
ton. She has not even the opportun'
ity to try it on, to say nothing Of the
chance of examining the fabric, noting
the exact shade of the material and
inspecting the workmanship. She lis
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 a 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 n rule, to shopping excur-
sions, should fall victim to the cata-
logue habit. He might find it 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
wouldn't know what he was getting
anyway il he went to the store and
he might as well take a chance on the
mail order gamble, but why the wOm-
an who knows what she wants and
knows that she is getting what she
wants when she gets it should buy on
the "sight unseen" plan-weii, that's
another question altogether.
Woman's Greatest Opportunity.
Women are taking a more and more
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
a big part, individually and through
their organizations. in the conduct par
ticuarly of local governments, yet In
the one field where they can do most
to help build up their communities
they may be overlooking their oppor-
tunity. With the buying power in
their hands they can'do more for their
community by stanchly supporting
their home business men than they
can possibly do in any other way.
Man may think he is a very impor-
tant element in the progress and devel-
opment Of his town but when he re-
fleets that so per cent of the buying