Why Women Should Never Drag Their Husbands or Boyfriends Out Shopping
What is it with women who insist on dragging their boyfriends or husbands out shopping for something that the male gender has no care for – like home décor, women's clothes, high heels, handbags or jewelry? Better yet – have any of these women ever heard the phrase, “Never take a man out shopping”, or at least had an example as such set for them?
My earliest memory of hearing the phrase “Never take a man out shopping”was when I was in my mid-twenties, speaking with a male acquaintance about something or other, and the conversation suddenly turned to shopping. Not surprisingly, the first thing this gentleman says to me is, “Never take a man out shopping.” My only response was a rather brief nod, which might be rather unusual, even though as long as I could remember, my parents never went shopping together unless we all went to the local mall – and then they would split up and go into the stores they wanted to, then meet somewhere when it came time to leave. Of course, I had the opportunity to go with either parent – sometimes with my father to the mall bookstore, then the candy store, or with my mother to a women's clothing boutique. Each parent could do their thing without being glued to each other out in public, and have a relatively pleasant experience. Yet the phrase “Never take a man out shopping” would pop up once again during my adult years, once again from a man, even though I was unmarried at the time. It amused me since I already agreed with the opposite gender about shopping and why it was totally unnecessary for any woman, married or not (if she had a boyfriend or fiance), to drag a man out shopping.
There are probably more benefits for the woman who does not drag a man out shopping than there are for a man who is involved in the process. For one thing, if a woman goes out shopping alone by herself or with a girlfriend, she has all the time in the world and not have to worry about putting any of her time off for the man accompanying her. Second, she can spend all the time she wants to in the lingerie section of a department store and not have to worry about a man wearing a permanent blush around all the bras, panties and girdles. Other reasons aside, let's face it, men can become bored very quickly when it comes to shopping. It is not at all unusual for a man to find someplace to sit in a department store like J. C. Penney or even Wal-Mart (not to mention higher-fashion stores like Ann Taylor or Limited) and wait among neatly folded stacks of shirts and slacks in one part of the store, while the wife or girlfriend is off in another part of the store, looking at handbags or earrings. Should the resting place of the man be comfy enough, he may even doze off on an easy chair or sofa, like the photos of the gentlemen seen here at Bored Panda. Or he may sneak off into another part of the store, rearrange merchandise, play with toys, or do any other number of things to stay amused while his wife or girlfriend spends time poring over what color scheme to select for bedroom linens.
One reason men do not like to go shopping with women is because they will only go into a store and get what they need – and they more often than not know exactly what they need. An article about the subject in Psychology Today dated February 14, 2014 addresses why men tend to get bored after being dragged out shopping for twenty minutes, while the shopping threshold for women is at two hours. The author of this article, “Why Men Don't Like Shopping and (Most) Women Do” traces each gender's attitude towards shopping back to our prehistoric ancestors, where women were gatherers of plants and berries while men were hunters. Picking out the choicest of edibles, just like in the produce section of a supermarket, required a different type of concentration than a man seeking out and using an elephant spear on a delicious piece of large game. Once the game is caught, skinned and prepared for cooking, the amount of time spent between the start of the hunt and the prehistoric dinner table, plenty of time is left over for the men, compared to the amount of time women spend gathering plant victuals. In modern times, the husband could run out to get something at Wal-Mart and be back in time to watch the weekend afternoon ball game. Woe betide the poor guy who inadvertently gets dragged out clothes shopping by his wife during that precious time during the week – probably the only time the man has, after working hard all week long – when he would prefer to laze on the sofa with a few sandwiches and watch the ball game on television, especially if his favorite team is playing. Maybe it is because men know how to utilize the few non-laborious hours of the week to relax and recharge their batteries. Doing this is not a bad thing at all, and no doubt there are some women out there who would not mind sharing that time with their husbands or boyfriends and watch the ball game on television (yes, some women like baseball, football, basketball or even hockey). It might even make the man happy to spend those quiet moments alone with the woman they love. It is far better than to drag a man out shopping.
