His Shopping

After careful consideration I have been able to think of three things that I dislike more than shopping for hours and hours on end. Having my fingernails pulled, having my toenails pulled and watching Anne of Green Gables.

As a guy, shopping for me is somewhat akin to hunting. I have a mission, it's best if it's taken care of quickly and if some innocent animals are killed on the way then so be it.

Now, to be fair, when the need arises I can 'hunt' for a bargain and I can even seek out the 'perfect' gift. What kills me however is the kind of shopping where one isn't necessarily looking for anything in particular. Where one has a vague idea of something they might want but no specific sense. For example, a dress, or pants or a top depending on what the fashion is during any designated week. Worse than that though is stopping to look at every other item in the store while seeking these vague items.

Believe it or not (and embarrassing as it may be) I can now walk into a ladies clothing store and if i know what I'm looking for, quickly determine if there is anything which Fi might be interested in. I can even spot things that she misses. This is of course part of the hunting side of shopping. The challenge is to get in, get out, strike at the cash register if we find something worthwhile and quickly move onto lunch.

To Fi's credit she has improved dramatically at being more 'mission oriented' in her shopping when I'm in attendance. For all you guys reading this however I will finish with my top five tips for surviving an afternoon of shopping with the Mrs:

5. Have a snack to keep your energy levels up. The whole experience is worse if you're hungry.
4. Have easily accessible reading material with you. A magazine or paperback works best.
3. When you find one of the truly great stores that actually has seats outside the change rooms, encourage your girl to try on as many items as she likes in this store. Rest while you can.
2. Help your girl with a smile on your face - she stays positive and you help things get done quicker.
1. Tell her she looks good in everything unless you know 100% she's not going to take it personally. She knows if she doesn't look good in something and at least she knows your trying to be nice. She'll tell you that she wants honesty but I'd rather say nice things and have her call me a liar :)

Her Shopping

I love shopping! For most people, shopping may mean spending a lot of money. For me, that is not necessarily the case ~ money-spending may be involved, but lots of it? Forget it!

I love a bargain! It is a great feeling to pick up an item of clothing at a bargain price. I will hunt high and low for an item of clothing or an accessory that not only fits me well, but fits my budget too. One of my favourite purchases this year was a magazine entitled Bargain Shoppers Guide to Melbourne 2006. Doesn't that say it all?

In order to find such a bargain, time is required. Sometimes I have a specific item (and price) in mind, and other times the search for a bargain buy can take longer because I'm "just looking around". Both forms of shopping have their advantages and disadvantages.

Some people might see shopping as a waste of time. But for me, it is therapeutic. When I am having a stressful day (or week, or month) shopping gives me an outlet to work off some of that pent-up stress.

There is someone else I know who enjoys shopping ~ my brother! Growing up, we used to peruse the markets and street vendors of Hong Kong together. So when I married James, I naturally assumed that he would enjoy shopping. Much to my surprise and dismay, our shopping sprees had the opposite effect on James to me ~ they caused him stress!

Two years and three months of marriage later, we are getting better at working together on this issue. James will tell you that he doesn't enjoy shopping, but I know he does... I've witnessed him spending time at the comic book store perusing the shelves for ages, finally walking away with one or two choice comics. Maybe he doesn't call that shopping, but I certainly do!

So, James, we may be different, but in some ways we are also strangely alike. It's just about finding your niche.