Shopping is a Pastime for Women

SHOPPING IS A PASTIME

Women’s clothing does not bite, but every guy I know seems to think

it does. If it’s hanging on a rack or sitting patiently in a store

for someone to handle, poke, or prod, it’s dangerous. Other adjectives—

provided kindly by my guy friends—include “expensive,” “a waste of time,”

and “unnecessary,” proving that men just don’t know anything about shopping

and what it means to women.

Combing through racks of clothing and looking for the cutest outfits

may take hours, but many girls feel great satisfaction in doing so.

Whenever my friends and I are bored, one of us will usually exclaim, “Let’s

go shopping!” We all get excited and prepare for an intensive day-long outing,

usually going to as many clothing stores as we can possibly carry ourselves,

or until our wallets become weightless and our plastic gets maxed

out. The idea of shopping is social and fun to us. While guys will usually

walk into a store (even with friends) and rush to find what they need, girls

will often hover around merchandise just to enjoy and inspect it. If we

don’t buy anything and only browse for a whole day, simply looking at new

things is a pleasurable experience and evokes happiness. Beyond clothing,

the wonders of accessories, shoes, and interesting home décor excite our

senses and spending possibilities.

For others—typically men—the idea of getting off the couch and out

of the house incites complete agony. When my younger brother hears the

suggestion of shopping, he yells, “I HAVE A STOMACH ACHE.

I CAN’T GO!” (unless, of course, you mention Best Buy or Micro

Center). When my boyfriend hears it, he sternly says, “Mary, don’t make

me sit in some chair for three hours like last time.” (Oops!) Shopping

evokes...

... middle of paper ...

...t turns out it was on the

OTHER SIDE of the store, exactly where my guy friend said it WASN’T.

If I hadn’t asked, we would have been there all night.

Although I don’t believe guys will ever truly appreciate shopping and

the obsession many women have with it, I do think that many have come

to terms with the issue. It’s common for my guy friends to not drop their

jaws if my friends and I blow a few hundred dollars in a single day on only

clothing . . . especially after we point out their latest and most expensive

electronic purchase. As Adams, (the design director for NBBJ Retail

Concepts) states, “the woman is the decision-maker (229),” and therefore,

is the primary shopper between the two sexes.

Works Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping.” 1996. The Text-Wrestling Book. Eds.

Donna LeCourt, et al. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendal/Hunt, 2005. 222–231.