Evening star., 1923-11-09
RUSHING HOLIDAY
TRADE IS SPRED|CTED
Retail Dealers Putting in
Very Heavy Stocks-Brisk
| Buying Already Noted.
ny j, C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK November 9.-Prepara-
tions for the holiday trade are In tuli
swing throughout the country, with
every indication that the 1923 nood OF
Christmas money will fill the mer-
chants horn of plenty to overnoWing,
Conservative retailers are basing
their plans on the turnover of last
year, when the holiday trade was
especially good.
Freight elevators in the stores and
warehouses are working overtime
taking in holiday goods which are al
ready beginning to move out over the
counters. In fact, the early shopping
movement has been so marked that
It has been necessary to establish
special traffic regulations in the shop
ping districts of some cities. Lines
of waiting automobiles have doubled
along the curbs before the larger
stores in the last week.
Innovation in Washington.
One large firm in Washington has
established a bus line to carry patrons
from section where it is possible
to park their motor cars to the doors
of the store. The line has been eX-
tensively patronized.
Many of the shops already have in
creased their sales forces from 20 to
40 per cent. Inauguration Of evening
shopping hours will follow in the
near future. Some of the extra en-
ployes, however, have been hired for
the holiday season only.
Street railway systems are uniting
with merchants to induce the public
to regulate its shopping hours SO as
to avoid congestion on the street cars.
Whenever possible, buyers will be
am. and 4'p.m. This. it Is explained
by members of the American Electric
Railways Association, which is be-
hind the movement, will enable the
traction companies to provide the
greatest degree of comfort and safety
TO passengers The peak of the days
travel comes between Z and a. IN. and
4 and 6:30 pm.
Goods in Greatest Demand.
One of the outstanding features
which early shopping has revealed is
the increased demand for cosmetics,
perfumes. powders and creams
Leather goods. silk underwear and
useful or instructive toys also are
stressed by merchandise managers.
A survey today of large Chicago de-
partment stores, which may be consid-
cred fairly representative, indicates
that useful gifts were in larger de-
mand than ever. w. D. Corley. mer-
chandise manager of Marshall Field &
L., utCldTeu there WOuiu D6 d ldIs CT
percentage of useful gifts bought than
since the war years. He named silver
ware, jewelry, toys, leather goods. hair
ornaments and cosmetics as leading
lines. The vogue for the latter, he at
tributes to the fact that they are now
put up in most attractive holiday con-
tainers.
Max Newman, merchandise manager
at Manders, stated silk underwear had
had the largest sale for gifts this sea-
son, with leather goods and jewelry
next.
Women Lavish With Money.
More high-quality goods are being
sold this season than ever before, ac-
cording to Seymour A. Shane of the
Boston Store in Chicago. Gift buying,
he said, was confined almost entirely,
so far. to practical articles.
Where woman once bought a
S15 coat" he stated, she now can
be sold SIS garment, because she
thinks 1t will wear longer" People
are learning how to spend money
Clothing forms the most popular line
Of gifts for children, although a tre-
mendous volume of the better class
of toys are being purchased. Mr..
Shane gave negliges, hosiery, cos
metics, silk underwear and leather
goods as the most popular sellers.
Bankers assert that Christmas-club
funds will exceed in amount those of
any previous year. The habit of
thrift has been installed sufficiently
in the process of accommodating these
funds to induce the savers to refrain
from spending about 25 per cent of
the amount saved, the bankers state.
Copyright, 1921