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 :)