In the days when the January sales were a significant event, Madeline Linford covered them for The Manchester Guardian's women's page. In language which resembles that of the stock market, she produced lively and meticulously researched reports on the best buys in shops such as Lewis's. On 8 January 1924 she wrote, "More ordinary coats have made slighter drops...Frocks of all kinds are cheaper...Short-sleeved gowns in chiffon velvet or velveteen are very reasonably priced...Marocain is still fairly dear...Blouses and jumpers keep pretty much where they were, that is to say, the inferior qualities are cheap and the others are not". Good market advice for shrewd shoppers.