The New York herald., 1922-11-26
Il w oman Whose Job
Is Spending $4,000
A Day for Clothes

time before the public does, so that IL
can have 1t when IL wants n.
These are only a few of the things
that girl must know and understand
before she can be buyer of women's
clothes and be privileged to spend
$4,000 In one day.
have been asked what are tho
most important qualifications for a
buyer. The answer is ears to hear
with and eyes to see with. She must
have an open mind to take in tho
things she hears and the sights she
sees. No matter how old in years she
may be, she must have a young out
look and be able to step about. She
must be able to look at things and
visualize their possibilities. In other
words, she must have imagination.
Because the amount of money she
may spend is unlimited, she carries a
tremendous responsibility. She Is
aided and abetted and advised by
merchandise man" who Is usually
himself an ex-buyer.
People don't get such position Of
responsibility by simply applying for
the job Buyers are not made that
way. And. what is more, there is no
school where they can learn the
psychology and whole art of buying
and then step into an important posi-
ton
School of Hard Knocks
Teaches the Buying Art
Many women buyers have reached
their goal by being thrown on the
world at the age of 14-to sink or
swim. Those with ability and dogged
determination, who put in long, hard
years of work, have arrived. They
have had to fight their way up, step
by step, elbowing their way through
the terrific competitive crowd.
And promotion Is really the proper
way to get capable and responsible
persons in any business. That Is
what we do in our store. Thank
goodness we have no efficiency experts
nor any Of their kin! AS an example,
take the window dressers. They have
been to no school of interior decora-
ton; they have studied under no pro-
fessor the essentials of line, color and
form. Yet they know and have
learned their business through work
and experience.
WAS DoIu ~iuChy, LUZ L have uOG
been through all this maelstrom. I
avoided it by having the good for
tune to be born into the right back
ground. My father was a merchant
and he sent me to college, and coll
lege gives a certain vision and breadth
of view that do not think I could
have acquired in any other way. In
my opinion background is just as i'm
portant as years of experience.
agree entirely with the Catholic
Church when 1t says: "Give me a
child OF years of age and 1 will
vouch for It for the rest of its life"
When I left college the only pos
sible thing for me to do seemed to be
to go into the mercantile business.
hated mechanical things like stenog-
raphy and nothing else ever occurred
to me. 1 started at SIS week and
In short time, at different estab-
lishment my salary was. doubled. At
one time / was In business for my
self. Now I am the chief foreign
buyer for q. big department store
an important job. though I says It
myself as didn't ought"
can't sell anything. But, FORUM
ately for me. it Is not necessary to be
able to sell things in order to he a
buyer. The two activities require en-
tirely different qualifications. I think
that the reason why cannot sell Is
that / cannot persuade anyone to buy
thing when I know 1t would be fool
ish and Improbable for him.
My business Is ideal for women.
For one thing we are always well
treated. naturally. since people want
US to buy things from them. In that
respect we really have the world by
the tail--and that Is always pleasant.
For another-women arc naturally in
terested In women's olothes-although
confess that was not particularly
interested in women's clothes when I
started out. Then. too. buying re-
quires a certain intuftion-hunches.
And women arc famed for their sixth
sense. ~r
But most important Of al, fashions
are inconstant. and women. they say,
arc tho very embodiment Of incon-
stancy. II 10 very nice not to have
tho same fashions over and over
again. That would be dreadfully dull.
II . girl u interested IN art ana
trade. women's fashions should be her
field Of endeavor. For In the manu.
fscture and design Of women's clothes
Hes the art Of tho commercial world.
t