RETAIL TRADE: Beat into Neat

As the nation's 18 million teen-agers began heading back to high school and college last week, there was a new look: the neatnik had replaced the beatnik. Out were dungarees, sloppy slacks, baggy sweaters, etc. Reflecting the back-to-school buying surge, department-store sales across the nation rose 20% over a year ago. Said Teen-Age Research Expert Eugene Gilbert: "There is a general upturn in the appearance of both boys and girls from the lower middle class on up." Gimbel's department store pitched its ads to "the neat generation." Chicago-area stores reported that their...

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