Henrietta Hay's Column

Recently in the course of wandering around a local store which shall be nameless I bought a hot pink Lucite clipboard with a built-in digital clock. Now there are very few things in the world that I need less than a hot pink clipboard with a clock, unless it might be a Shetland pony or a hockey puck, but it is so beautiful to look at that I couldn't resist it. Actually, I do find it more fun to do my daily crossword puzzle when it is fastened to the new clipboard and besides; my grandson assured me that I might really need it some day. I am a part of the consumer society and like most of the rest of us, suffer from the great American disease of impulse buying. We justify it by thinking, "I might really need it some day."

When you have to shop for something specific, it is hard work and does not come under the heading of fun. On the other hand, the vast array of items our technological age has produced create a Shoppers' Mecca. Right here in River City we may not have a Neiman Marcus or a Bloomingdale's, but we do have everything from a big warehouse store, a big mall, discount houses and many stores and shops of all kinds and sizes.

We tend to think of women as the big impulse buyers, but the men are right up there with us. I don't want to be accused of sexual stereotyping, but men do seem to have a special bond with hardware stores. One day I was making a quick run into a hardware store when I overheard a conversation between two forty something males. They were talking together almost reverently as they stood in front of a gadget on display. They agreed that they were not sure what it was or what it was for and they did not know how they would be able to use it but it was, they said, "so beautiful," (like my clipboard). One said he could envision it hanging on the wall of his workshop. I wondered afterward what his wife said when he got it home.

Women, who still do most of the cooking, are more likely to freak out in the kitchen departments. They get that starry-eyed look as they gaze at fancy coffee makers, mixers, expensive cookware and row on row of small and generally useless gadgets. I haven't counted recently, but I think I have seven or eight coffee makers of one kind or another, collected over the years. I bought the last one on impulse because it is red and has a gold filter.

I have a friend who laughs at my gadget collecting and who is really a very conservative shopper - usually. Some time ago she stopped at the Factory Outlet Stores in Silverthorne. Now there is a place for impulse shoppers to go berserk. She ended up with four pairs of good shoes, which she really didn't need, but she got all four for a bargain price of $60. Never before had she gotten excited about shoes, which she used chiefly to keep her feet dry. Months later, however, she is still chortling as she shows off the new shoes and feels like a poor woman's Imelda Marcos.

Another friend loves pens. She already has enough pens to last her into the 21st century, but she can't go by a display without buying one. Some day I must tell her about word processors.

The huge electronics display in Las Vegas each year must be the ultimate dream exhibit. This year I saw the latest whatever on TV. As I understood the commentator, it combines a TV, computer, stereo system, fax, movies, all kinds of games and possibly a kitchen sink. It is not on the market yet but when it is someone with a lot more money than sense will buy it on an impulse.

Our supermarkets do not do anything to curb the urge of Americans to buy on impulse. As we wait in the checkout line we are bombarded with magazines, candy bars, chewing gum, videotape, baseball cards, and anything else small enough and enticing enough to catch the eye. I haven't had much experience recently, but I am told that getting a kid through the line requires blinders like those we used to put on horses.

Economic conditions have very little to do with impulse buying. It is the same for the rich and the poor. The only difference is the price tag. I don't need my hot pink clipboard but what the heck! It did not cost very much and it is so beautiful just to look at.