Buying habits of women and girls in selecting clothing for the high school girl

Abstract

Consumer-education has greater significance today than at any previous time. Families, instead of supplying their own needs, are depending more and more on others. The spending of inadequate incomes is of great importance. With production out of the home the consumer does not have reliable information as a guide to buying. He needs basic information, help in judging values and ability to keep records as a guide for later. purchases. Business through questionable advertising, selling campaigns and the like, cannot be depended upon to give reliable information. In many cases, the producer does not want the consumer to know the quality of his goods. There is a need for the producer to give information available to him to the public in an understandable form. It is the purpose of this study to furnish material as a basis for a practical high-school unit in the clothing area of consumer buying. Statement of the Problem. What should be taught in the high school concerning methods of buying girls' clothing? 1. Who selects the girl's clothing? 2. What factors do girls and their mothers consider in selecting ready-to-wear clothing? 3. At what type of stores was the buying of various articles done? 4. What clothing is made in the home, who makes it and how is the material selected? Delimitation of the problem. This study was carried on at Alexis Community High School, Alexis, Illinois, during the school year 1939-40. The 61 high-school girls in the sample included all those enrolled in home economics classes and others who willingly cooperated in order to keep the necessary records. Setting of Problem. The students of Alexis Community High School come from surrounding farms and the small town in which the school is located. The families range from well-to-do farmers and business men to those receiving government aid in some form. The town, twelve miles from the nearest city, is limited in shopping facilities. Many make use of the mail-order system of buying while others visit the nearby cities for shopping purposes. Methods and Materials. The study of buying habits of women and girls in selecting clothing for the high-school girls was carried on for the purpose of determining the methods used, and factors considered, in the choice of various garments of the high-school girls' wardrobe. A representative group of 61 high-school girls including those enrolled in homemaking classes and others who volunteered to cooperate, kept weekly check sheets of their clothing purchases during the school year 1939-40. Fifty mothers, chosen at random, were interviewed to find out the determining factors in their selection of various garments and materials for clothing made at home. Information was also secured as to who bought the girls' clothing and where the purchases were made. Only the clothing purchased for the girl from September first until the close of school in May was recorded. The check sheets were not given to the girl but were checked with her after each purchase, at which time the factors influencing and determining the purchase were recorded. Interview sheets for mothers, worked out on the same general plan as those of the daughters, were checked during home visits or at other times when the mothers could be interviewed. Summary. Style was the determining factor in the final selection of dresses, coats, hats, skirts, shoes, slips and undergarments. The girls, in buying blouses, sweaters, hose, anklets and materials, gave color as the determining factor in the selection, but they considered convenience and labels very little in the selection of their clothing. The greatest share of the girls' clothing was purchased by both mother and daughter. Eighty percent of the mothers allowed the daughter to use her own judgment when buying alone. Department stores were favored for the purchase of cotton dresses, skirts, cotton blouses, sweaters, slips, undergarments and hose while more silk dresses and shoes were bought in specialty shops. More daughters than mothers made cotton garments, while more of the mothers worked with silk and synthetic fibers. Style was considered first by the mothers in the purchase of dresses and style and color were first in the selection of shoes. Quality was the first regard in buying hose and fit led in the purchase of slips and undergarments. The mothers also gave less consideration to convenience and labels than to other factors. Recommendations. 1. Since style and color were such important factors in the selection of various garments, it would seem advisable to put more stress on the proper use of these factors in studying the purchase of clothing. 2. Quality in relation to price should be considered with various garments in order that the girl will learn to get the best value for the money she has to spend. 3. Emphasis should be placed on the importance of labels in making a purchase. They are needed not only for the purchaser's information but also as an aid in obtaining further information from the producer. 4. With all types of stores used in the purchase of garments, more should be taught concerning the stores and salesmanship, and the advantages and disadvantages of the various types. 5. The use of the sales catalogue in ordering by mail should be stressed so that the girls will make intelligent selections in their mail-order buying. 6. More skills and experiences in clothing construction should be developed by the girls through home practices and home projects. Limitations. 1. In these data the girls and their mothers reported those factors which they considered in buying various garments but not "why" and "how" the selection was made. 2. The answers given on the check sheets might have been what the person thought she did rather than what she actually did. 3. Color was an important factor in selection of garments but there is nothing in these data to show that becoming and appropriate color was selected. 4. The factors considered in selecting garments were taught to some of the girls during the time the survey was being made and may have influenced their responses. Suggestions for Further Study. 1. What application of related art, especially in regard to color, do the girls make in purchasing ready-to-wear garments? 2. What are the reasons why mothers do not allow the girls to do the buying of the girls' clothing?