AMERICAN WOMEN AND SHOPPING

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 410, 20 January 1909, Page 3

AMERICAN WOMEN AND SHOPPING

Mary Mortimer Maxwell, in the "Daily Mail," has another of her. interesting comparisons, between. English and American women.' . There •is' iio woman in the' world, she ;says, who,' when she starts out shopping, ib capablo.'of spendingso' much monoy as the American, woman. Sho goes out to buy a .'■A 'Teily.':Md ; ;returns;>ith. ja; iirousseau; ; v she .: fancies > she needs v., a •.piic.-.'ofc gloves, rand re- ; turns V homo with . nine :• pairsof boots. and slippers and a £15 hat. Tliero are, to my mine}, , two . particular ; reasons why the American 1 woman is : rtravagant shopper.;. • One is'the temptingness American {shops, and the;,other ' r /:A expenses. 4 : .The average . American,;.wife .or daughter , is not-given any . particular - allow : •. anco by. her - husbandr,:or father,- ; ,and:. she ; amount of ; money .that Bhe would do if. sho had a stated sum to - spend. (: 'iho American:-man, no doubt the ■ most generous; ina'i) • in. tho; world. when. it ,'<»mes.-tq;prpviding;ior .his, g^ems, ' tok'avo an'objectwii. to eivihg':an -allowance. ■> His wife or daughter .asks, him for'£2 aiicl ho gives her .£4;.'vbufc to make ..her underV stand ,that "slid must spend only v a;;. stated v sum, t-o. give: her/an;. siccount .te.keep-Tbf. this ..he swins; incapable. ...v. 'The-iresliltVisj."that 'American•' women ■;: s^'d.-mpney^-®'a'ihit^rimiM"fashionAthiat: is absolutely- sh'&Tdng/~t6Ttheir''m^ ' tivo British aiaters:V\l.\cou]d; : name a dozen .. American women of -my • acquaintance who, . .thpugh .they .have, ; no-. allowance, ; .credit .. . several, of" the largest shops in Now: York. Their bills are. paid monthly or ■ quVrisfly'TDy their husbands, .sometimes 'with and" sometimes' without lifted eyebrows.' If •: they ' have. not accounts .aV'th.e shops, they C;...d&i^tjto'j'hayiiig things'sent I }home£'o;OVD;, l .' as tnoy /jball it,- which-means "cash on Je'L li\ery. ,lJ ' . Tho Englishwoman who has a certain sum . for- "pin-money" apportions it to cover all . the. .sundries. : ,:Sne... buys . carefully • and ■>' thoughtfully, and not. often, on tho spur of . the moment, unless sho sees a really excellent bargain. i and ffifty: must' coVer:,the year; ■' and sho ;loes. not spend it all in Sept-ember. Then,"' too, the American shopkeepers have the most accommodating system of receiving hack the goods.-'a. customer, .decides: she/does '■■''■V'notiwantV-i>..They-.:.TOll.''ciiit:V)£EVkVdii^ , Vsards ,f of satin one day' and take it back'from>. .customer.,thprne'xt,,';iShe: hasjjiist; - happened to, ch'ange'-heri'inind^. ./.One m l 'day TOg:;to/go' ; 'lwitli ; ;her . blue walls,, and orders ono i and ,pays for it: The actually finds: she' does - not 'want: any-,'nig at the-shpjikeeper ,is {; teJephqhed;for,..aiid ."r he. sends, his'i'.cart;.'and';Vakesi^^ ; , gives .the customer Wk.: her • mortey.' This :: aJsOj has a'-tend6licV"to"'elicourage women to : .. btiy.i, extravagantly.-. Everything,i connected :; with; shopping in the ]arge iAmerican cities has.i tendency.; to« turn: the American woman into .^thoughtless:and;:reckless shopper. . :-:: . ■'American 'women-' buy on ;ailarger- scale'thaii . do Englishwomen.- One -seldom finds a New i-.-.yoTfewomanibuyingia.solitarycpair, of-; gloves. : - ings, boots,- and ;otherthingsKin" l : proportion. Veils she buys by the dozen, and .. Bhe. - neveiv.waits' ■'till "'she 1 Has/.used' the ; ; : piirfpf - the .'last pair. :=i of : A' ! '■■■;:'j I; In Now. York, a nice, long pair of gloves, suchas : a well-to-do woman , would wear, ; must cost a ppund, while good, short, walking gloves can never bo.beught even by ninst : eco.nomical ,wdmen , for 'ander six shillings the pair. ( ; ;:-Let us go back to the original proposition of tho. reason i ajnon|; American. women ..when out shopping—the ab- • sence, of ;:-.the •, stated allpwance. for\ "pili.the- inbiibx-' must fly -when there is no- hold -unon : the reins ef the husband's purse p'Bargain day at the' Great Stero;" says v. the wife to her husband one evening. "Can I liav.e some money for*hats and gloves?." and he;hands iher out a sum. of. money,'keeps no :: account of. it, •pr tells, hor to buy: and have the things.sent. homo, to.be paid foi*:'subsequently br cheque. "Bargain day m .Oxford Street,"; says the English ; wife. , toi herself,and she: casts - tin her. accounts , andvfinds put- how> much 'monoy is left of her:quarterly :allowance. : All. this- -■ -for:, caretulness . and: harmony;' as the • American system makes fer'extravagance. , As lihavessaid, all,things are not.expensive,in; New .fprk and the: pther: large American 'furnishings 'are sur- : prisingly . cheap.v. Tin:, and ,^cheap,-wooden ware:is cheap,' and'American-'-made furniture is cheap ,'Manv" vegetables f are ; bheapor than in. London. Tea is moW . expen B ive,-coffee al3o, sugar about the sarfe, meat.-PT-probably equal price. ■ . : , :. ~ Counting up expenses at the end of ;a year, 1 am, convinced, tliat; a family , can live quite . as .cheaply in_Nev York as in London. It, is not. that things cost, more' here, but that : Americans spend,.more, monoy for things they do,not, absolutely.need, or perhaps lt-is that j t-0 iic-2d more than they. would need in London. 1 '