'Do you enjoy shopping' poll discussion

Former_MSE_Lawrence

This week's poll: Vote here, then discuss below.

Do you enjoy shopping?

Poll Started 12th April 2011:

Are the shops a means to an end or a glorious pursuit in their own right? It's often assumed there's a gender gap in the way we look at shopping, is this real or just hype?

Assuming you've got the cash, rate shopping as a leisure activity (5 = high)

I'm a man

5 – It's pure leisure pleasure; I revel in retail
4 – I usually have a good time
3 – Fun on occasssion, but only in short doses
2 – I mostly try and avoid it
1 – Horrid, I'm a misery in a mall

I'm a woman

5 – It's pure leisure pleasure; I revel in retail
4 – I usually have a good time
3 – Fun on occasssion, but only in short doses
2 – I mostly try and avoid it
1 – Horrid, I'm a misery in a mall

Please vote here, or click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

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free4440273

I voted 2 //

MarzipanFish

I voted for 3. Except not so much the 'short doses' bit. I like to go shopping for fun occasionally but I take quite a while to look round at everything properly. A short dose of shopping for me probably wouldn't be much fun, just necessary for buying something specific.

Awkward opinion for the poll... oops!

MSE_Martin

MarzipanFish wrote: »

I voted for 3. Except not so much the 'short doses' bit. I like to go shopping for fun occasionally but I take quite a while to look round at everything properly. A short dose of shopping for me probably wouldn't be much fun, just necessary for buying something specific.

Awkward opinion for the poll... oops!

We're going to change 'short' to 'small' to make that clearer

minerva_windsong

I'm a woman and I voted 4, but I'm probably more like a 3.5 - I enjoy it if it's just browsing or if I'm looking for a really specific item (seeing a dress in a magazine say and then going to hunt it out), but only for a morning or an afternoon. If it's for something non-specific like jeans or an outfit for a special occasion then it drives me mad, because I fall into the trap of everything not being quite right and then getting stressed out and annoyed and upset with myself at not being able to find what I want.

memory_grrl

I think I might fail at being a girl! I just don't see how "shopping" and "fun" would even occur in the same sentence unless that sentence were "it would be more fun to staple my eyelids shut than to go shopping."

Internet shopping is an absolute godsend! No queues, no stupid people randomly stopping in the middle of the pavement, no screaming children or hideous music, no high-pressure salespeople...I could go on, but already fear I sound like the biggest curmudgeon in Christendom!

As well as avoiding the irritation of shopping, I find internet shopping much better for the bank balance; I can compare prices and offers at my leisure, so am more likely to find a bargain and it makes me far less susceptible to impulse buys...leaving me more spare money to spend on things I actually enjoy.

MSE_Martin

Whats interesting currently is that more women are voting than men - likely showing the 'shopping attraction' or lifestyle element in play. (we have a pretty 50/50 split demographic so it more about who choses to vote than the site itself)

Barcode

I'm a woman.

2.

For me, I detest the crowds; imagine punching slow-walking people in the back of the head, people who run over others/block entire aisles with buggies, people who mistake doorways for a social gathering place; stores such as TKMaxx which resemble a jumble sale; the must-buy-something-because-it-has-a-shiny-sale-sticker mentality that plagues some people; store assistants that insist on speaking to you; standing in queues for overpriced lattes [insert names of approx. 300 coffees here when all you want is an ordinary one]; zombies in shopping malls blindly going from one store to the next; screaming offspring that their parents will insist are geniuses with ADHD but the rest of us can see are really obnoxious brats; and on it goes.

Internet shopping is invented for people like me. I choose who/when/what to interact with. I'm not averse to spending money, and probably do on too many gadgets, it's just the whole social experience I find difficult. Town on a weekday morning is just about manageable, not so mid-saturday afternoon.

stevemcol

What I don't get is 'going shopping', 'window shopping' or 'just browsing'.
If I need a pair of jeans and two t shirts I go to a shop and buy a pair of jeans and two t-shirts and leave asap.
Bimbling aimlessly round department stores drives me to my wits end, literally within minutes.
Each to their own though.

jackieb

I voted 3. I do like shopping - i'm happy just browsing as well. I don't need to buy anything. It just gives me ideas. I don't like when it's too crowded though, or the shops are too hot. I wouldn't want to do it every day either. I actually feel quite good if I go to the shops and come home without spending anything - unless i'm going out for something specific - I don't like coming home empty-handed then! I like the atmosphere in the shops.

trigger2

Steve - I agree with you wholeheartedly, for me it is a means to an end. However I know very few fellow women who share my opinion of shopping. I personally feel there is nothing worse than traipsing round shopping centres with hoardes of others buying things they don't need. But as I say, that's just my opinion ! Thankfully Mr Trigger feels the same too.

regards.

Trigger