SENSIBLE SHOPPING “DONTS”

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20911, 16 September 1939, Page 17 (Supplement)

SENSIBLE SHOPPING “DONTS”

Don’t forget that the finest of all shopping time-savers is the telephone —but use it scientifically, states the London Daily Telegraph. Make a list of what you want as though you were actually going out shopping, for it’s surprising how you forget things when you get on the end of a telephone wire. Try to make that list cover each department so that when you get switched over from the groceries to the drapery section you find you have forgotten the gorgonzola and waste everybody’s time getting switched back to groceries again. Don’t be indecisive —it wastes more minutes than you can count. If you aren't sure that blue suits you, make certain about it by holding the colour underneath your eyes. If the blue gives more colour and depth to your eyes, go ahead and buy the material. If it takes the colour out of your eyes, give it a miss Don’t scramble through endless pairs of stockings. Ask for a colour chart, and find out what tone goes with the colour of the clothes you want to wear. Or use a special colour wheel found on some counters. Wise Hints Don’t forgot to start at the shop furthest away from you, and work towards home. You won’t get loaded up to begin with this way. Don’t if you can avoid it stiop in the town between 12 and 2 p.in., which is the business girls’ only time for shopping. Don't carry your gloves, wear them, otherwise you'll spend precious minutes —or hours—searching for them when you eventually mislay them. Don't, if you go into a store or shop

for the express purpose of “looking round," be afraid of telling the assistant so. A little honesty saves a lot of time .... her time. Don’t always think you know better than the assistants. If, for instance, you want to buy a coat or raincoat, don’t ask to be left to yourself, because garments are invariably graded in sizes, lengths etc., on their particular stands, and only the assistant knows which is which. She is also trained to know which size will fit you, just by glancing at you. Be Definite Don’t go into a department and say vaguely, “I don’t really know what I want.’’ Give the assistant some sort of lead. If you don't know what you want tell her what you want the garment for. And please tell her what colours you don’t like if you can’t remember the ones you do. Don't take patterns of material unless you really want them. Stores spend thousands of pounds a year on the lengths of material cup up into patterns for people who never intend to buy. One store has inaugurated a pattern bureau to save time. Only serious-minded people go there. Don't spend time in the millinery department trying on hats designed yourself. You know you can't wear them, and it will only depress \uu, and the assistant. And finally, don't forget what you're shopping for. Make up your mind flow mueli you're going to spend, and fm- what purpose. To make you happy, to make \.»u tired, to make you rested, or just to give you a change. Rut, above all, think of the shop us bislanU, tlic-y're human 100.