The question of cost considered only from the woman's standpoint of expenditure is more difficult to discuss. In the case of small equipment priced under or around five dollars it is easy to make large sales upon the time or labor-saving qualities the devices may have. But repeat sales are affected by the quality of construction and materials used.

In all higher priced equipment the question of strength and quality seems uppermost in her mind, but a difference in price between two makes or two models of same manufacture, often results in the sale of the higher priced, because she has enjoyed the opportunity of discrimination.

There seems to be no question that the woman purchaser is willing to pay any added sum required to make construction better or convenience greater—always provided that the salesman convinces her she is obtaining the quality she is paying for.

In selecting a Vacuum Cleaner, the woman looks for:

1. A design that will prove efficient at low upkeep cost over a period of time.

2. If motor driven brush type [Footnote: Her selection may include either motor driven brush type or air type machine, since properly designed, either will care for all kinds of soil, including thread and lint.], there must be correct relation between air suction power and brush sweeping action.

3. As light a construction as is consistent with quality.

4. If air type, a narrow floor nozzle so designed as to clean by small amount of air at high velocity.

5. If air and brush (geared to wheels) type, a broader nozzle with inset brush is permissible provided care is exercised in design to prevent air leakage. This type cleans by a larger volume of air with correspondingly lower velocity.

6. Durable construction, either aluminum or steel casings, an assembly that secures tight joints and seams that won't leak air.

7. Easy operation—weight of appliance not so important if weight is easily handled.

8. Convenient switch; handle designed long enough for comfortable operation at woman's height.

9. Bag, double seamed; strong, tight connections; easily emptied; durable material, preferably of cotton flannel type.

10. Winding posts for cord to be strong and conveniently placed.

11. Convenience in connecting attachments.

12. Elimination of noise, in so far as this is possible.

Instead, then, of attempting merely to learn the dealer's demand for selling points, put part of your effort into learning the demands of the user of the machine. Consumer suggestion or demands are apt to come only after a period of use. Obvious ones are sometimes reported by the dealer, but very often they never come to the manufacturer through the reports of the trade in time to be of service. It took a period of years for the dealer to realize the importance of enclosed moving parts. It finally came to him through the reaction developed by women using the machines. In the same way the manufacture and marketing of both gas and electric ranges, which has been uniformly efficient, has overlooked one very important detail. The broiler grids are often so placed that the steak is an inch and a half away from the flame instead of one-half inch. With such a broiler, perfect broiling is impossible. Again a kitchen cabinet may be made of high grade materials but the hardware proves too light to stand the constant closing and opening. Such a kitchen cabinet is handicapped in any neighborhood because constant use makes the minor annoyance a cumulative one, which reacts directly upon the manufacturer's product.

The vacuum cleaner that is easily sold on the dealer's floor because it looks big and imposing oftentimes discloses its poor efficiency only after from four to six months of use. This is due to the fact that from time immemorial women have ordained a period devoted to housecleaning twice a year. And it is at this crucial time that they discover if the routine care of rugs and carpets by their vacuum cleaner has accomplished a work satisfactory to them. This conclusion is well borne out by a conversation we had with a large dealer in vacuum cleaners from the west coast. He freely told us of handling two vacuum cleaners, one a comparatively inexpensive and absolutely inefficient machine (as we had proved by test), the other a more expensive and a thoroughly efficient machine. He claimed that the first proved only a feeder for the second, since when the woman, after a longer or shorter period of use, realized that the first machine would not do the work, she returned to buy the more expensive and better machine. And the average time was six months! Now this dealer could have selected a machine no higher in price than his less expensive model which would have done good work and thoroughly satisfied the user. We leave you to draw your own conclusions as to the fate of the manufacturer's product in the first place, and the dealer's selling methods in the second place.

In selecting a Washing Machine, the woman looks for:

1. Compact, trim appearance with all machine parts covered.

2. Plain outlines.

3. Swinging wringer with safety release.

4. Pump attached to machine to rapidly drain off water when drain connection is not practical.

5. Metal tub exterior painted (easy to keep clean).

6. A waterproof finish on a wood tub.

7. Switch control of motor, clutch control of tub and wringer.

8. Height that will obviate stooping.

9. Design to insure efficiency.

10. Motor and switch insulation.

11. Materials and workmanship that insure durability.

12. A water outlet that allows rapid running off of water.

13. Threaded outlet to allow for connection. 14. All handles and levers to be easy to grasp and to turn by wet hands.

15. Tub body slightly off the level to allow for draining.

It is easy to sell a refrigerator that has a sightly appearance, that is equipped with a sanitary seamless lining and that is marked with a price that spells to the woman good workmanship. But it is only actual use in storing food that develops the fact that the insulation is of sufficient quantity and is assembled with high grade construction, or that cheap material and workmanship have been substituted. The service that can be obtained from the appliance after it is marketed is of the utmost importance for the manufacturer to learn. It is peculiarly impossible to sell and "forget" any product sold to women.