Trivia: Debra Winger was originally offered the role of Peggy Sue, but had to pull out after suffering a back injury in a bicycle accident.
Trivia: Kathleen Turner plays Helen Hunt's mother in the movie, even though in real life she's only nine years older than her.
Answer: She was selling jewelry because the Edsel was a purchase they couldn't afford. She didn't want Peggy or her husband to know. The same reason they eat creamed chipped beef on toast and rutabagas - cheap food. The hat business was not doing well in 1960. Fewer men were buying and wearing hats by then.