Until modern times, there were no stores as we know them. Merchants occupied small booths that had no show windows or display counters. There was nothing resembling newspapers or TV advertising. Consequently, a person wanting a specific commodity had to get out and hunt for it.
Every successful shopping expedition was a major or minor triumph. So many difficulties were involved that the process of searching became linked with actual buying. From an Old French term meaning “seeking ardently,” it was called purchasing.
So many persons chased so much merchandise so fervently that the label stuck in speech. No longer signifying an act of searching zealously, it now implies that money will pass from the hands of the purchaser to the hands of the seller — unless both agree to use a plastic card.
Respectfully Submitted by
Orlan Smith