Word: conroys
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...bras, they spend part of every business day prowling the basement's depths while TV cameras and store detectives with walkie-talkies watch. Though some supershoppers resell their bargains at a profit, the most sophisticated brave the basement for the thrill of the hunt. Such is Mrs. Josephine Conroy of Needham, Mass., an attractive, smartly attired (all in Filene's bargains) grandmother...
...Conroy and her two daughters, Terry, 27, a Spanish teacher at the State College at Boston, and Mariann, 23, a housewife, meet at Colstone's Restaurant in The Hub. Huddled conspiratorily over their coffee, they plot the day's assault. "Terry," says Mrs. Conroy, "you hit the $6.95 dress sale. Mariann, you head directly for that special on pants suits. I'll case the men's department...
...Opening gong sounds. Conroys, now at front of crowd, fan out through basement. Other women come running and dodging like halfbacks from all directions, swiveling past pyramids of shoes ($4.95), bins full of records ($1.25), and piles of antique copper lanterns ($25). "As you're running," explains Mrs. Conroy later, "you have to keep one eye up to spot the sizes and one eye down to make sure someone isn't trying to trip...
...women tugging on a Dior dress tear its seams. Caught in crush, one elderly lady faints and is hurried off to first aid. Survivors scurry off to corners, sort through dresses, throwing rejects on floor. They swap sizes with one another and exchange telephone numbers for later bartering. Mrs. Conroy: "You've got to hold your dresses tightly; otherwise some of those old squaws will sneak up behind you and snitch a few of them...
...Conroys regroup, look over each other's finds, finger material, check labels, and return unwanted items. Mrs. Conroy, who spends upwards of $500 each month (most of it for friends, who reimburse her), says: "It's easy to get carried away. So as a check we always ask each other: 'Do you really need this...