The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1922-03-28
women CONTROL
TOWNS DESTINY
Can Make or Break a Community
Through Exercise of Their
Buying Power.
They HOLD PURSE STRINGS
Il 10 Estimated That at Least 80 Per
Cent Of Retail Purchasing 10
Done by Feminine
Shoppers.


Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union.)
1t 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 a
rule, is very glad to have her handle
the job.
1t 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 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 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 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 a responsibility that
they do not always appreciate. The
women Of town, through their buy
ing power, can make or break the mer-
chants of town and as a natural con-
sequence they can make or break the
town. 1t Is in their power to make
1t prosperous town or 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 a woman, who Is shop
per by instinct and a 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 it Is
to distinguish between the genuine and
the imitation even after close inspec-
tion. The good shopper, when on buy
ing bent, does not always take the
first article that Is offered for inspec-
ton. In fact this Is the exception
rather than the rule. The merchants
know 1t and expect it. They expect a
woman, If She is a good shopper, to
'look around little"
If q 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 to
the storekeeper or the saleswoman.
The chances are that she will try on
a 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 satisfied
customer Is the best advertisement
that he can obtain.
Taking a Chance.
This same woman, however, may or
der a suit from a mail order house on
the strength of nothing more than a
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 a character
that the suit will not fall to pieces.
The woman who takes such chances
cannot be called shrewd shopper.
1t might be more easily understood
why mere man, unaccustomed and
averse, as 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 60 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 If 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 1t should buy on
the sight unseen" plan-well, 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
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 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
power Of the community Is In the
hands Of the women he Is apt to real