Yes, you read the title correctly: what men can teach us about shopping. The commonly accepted school of thought is that women are the shoppers and men are the collectors.
So this recent study conducted by a British firm and reported in TIME caught my attention. It says some interesting stuff about impulse buys (women’s weekly impulse buys are less than mens. Apparently). But the bit that jumped out at me was this:
“While [men] end up spending more, it’s a safe bet that they aren’t shopping more than women. That’s because women are much more likely to search incessantly for the best deals, while men are happy to pay more just to be done with the task of shopping”.
Men have a “get in – get the thing — get out” approach when it comes to shopping. It’s like tactical warfare, where they spend as little time in the ‘combat zone’ as possible. In this way, men approach shopping the way Rambo approached his missions.
They have a “target” and they are utterly focused on the attainment of that goal.
They know they have to defend themselves against armed and motivated mercenaries, trained in stealth skirmish tactics.
They know that time is a tool to be harnessed, not frittered away mindlessly. They know the dangers inherent in not being tuned into their surroundings.
So we can learn something here, ladies. Let’s take the good bits out of this study, and leave the rest.
And here’s the lesson
Don’t treat shopping as a default activity, as a hobby, a mindless pastime. Of the three kinds of shoppers, be a Tasker, not a Day Tripper.
Before you go shopping, be clear on what the expedition is about – do not go ‘in’ without Good Intel. This is why shopping with a lists is so important (and is my #1 tip in my Top Ten Shopping Tips).
Then when you are in a shopping situation, stay focused. Do not become distracted or allow your attention to drift – no auto-pilot (or emotion-fuelled) shopping!
Engage the Power Pause. Remember that your time is precious — your life is far too important to spend it – your life should be lived! So, get in – get the thing – and get out.
Or at least, give it a try – bring some variety into the way you shop! It’ll be an interesting experiment, if nothing else. What have you got to lose?