Men shop as hunters, women shop as gatherers

[Cruzan]

Men, who have often been accused of being merely replacement shoppers, tend to be more utilitarian when they hit the malls and shopping centers. It's a mission. Get in. Get what's needed. Get out. Quickly.

Women, on the other hand, generally like to look around, talk to sales associates and experience the shopping. They walk around, smell perfume, touch clothes, dab on cosmetics. They want attention and they want direction.

[...]

And this might not be terribly surprising either: Women run into more problems when shopping than men. On the tribulations scale, women's No. 1 issue was not being able to find help when they needed it. One in three women who were so miffed by the issue that they said they would never go back to the store again.

Men's biggest headache: Parking. One in three said they hated not finding parking close to the store entrance. But very few of them said they would desert the store forever because of it.

More

[SujiwanKenobee]

1. I guess I'm a guy in a female body then...

I hate to shop. DOn't like "window shopping" or hanging around in malls. If there's going to be a crowd, I avoid the place like a plague. Why I'm like this, I don't know.

[zabet]

3. Me too...

I abhor shopping and hate the mall
scene. I shop only out of necessity
and know what I need before I go.

[Orangeone]

4. I'm like that too

I like to know what I'm going to buy before I go into a store. Get in there and get out right away. Shopping online is best.

[blondeatlast]

11. Me too, and my husband can shop for hours. Hate the crowds, will only go on weekdays.

My ideal is to scope what I want out on the 'net, park directly in front of the store that has it, then get the hell home!

[Arkansas Granny]

22. I'm the same way. When I go shopping I have a list, I know what I

want and I get it and leave. Wandering every aisle and department in the store is not my thing and I don't go to the mall on my own accord. I love catalog and internet shopping where you just sit on your butt, make your selection and they ship the items right to your door. How could it get any better than that?

[treestar]

31. Me too.

I only go shopping when absolutely necessary.

I'm totally with the men on this one.

[alarimer]

46. I guess I am too

Especially when it comes to shopping. I hate buying clothes (well that's largely because of the funhouse mirrors they put in the changing rooms). The exception is bookstores- I will spend hours in there, not necessarily even buying anything. I love to look at electronics too but those are the exceptions. Shopping for me is torture. I try to decide what I need in advance so as to spend as little time as possible there. I avoid malls altogether.

[Samurai_Writer]

2. Gee, more sexist stereotypes to teach our children

"Where's mommy going? She's going 'shopping', Son. Don't expect her back anytime soon, or to come back with what she actually needs. If I *really* need something, I'll go get it myself, because I just go in, get it, and get out. Not like these silly women who like to 'experience' shopping."

You know, I'm a woman, and I HATE shopping. I always have a list, and I don't stray from it. My boyfriend, on the other hand, would buy the whole damned store if he could, wanders up and down every aisle, and just buys whatever catches his eye. I know we are not the only ones who are not as described in this 'study'.

[Cassandra]

6. My father was like your boyfriend...

in a grocery store. The few times he went, even with a list, we never knew what he might come back with.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

38. I find it amusing that we can believe that people evolved

but don't think the environment in which they evolved had any effect on the innate nature of the sexes roles in that environment...

My wife despised shopping but when she does shop she gathers, she spends more time comparing than I do thinks of things not on the list, ..... When I shop Im in and out quickly but I dont ever walk down an isle thinking 'do I need anything here'

Sure there are going to be people that dont fit into these boxes but why throw out the baby with the bathwater? Just because study A does not describe you does not mean there is no value in the trends described in study.

[cloudbase]

5. That's been my experience.

Men buy, women shop. Unless it's a tool store.

[spinbaby]

8. Or a sporting-goods store

You should see 'em in Cabelas.

[seemunkee]

17. There should be one in every mall

Most malls don't have a single store that I want to spend time in. I get bored silly going shopping with my wife. I want a mall to have a good music store, a good book store and a sports/outfitters.

[Solly Mack]

7. Piffle

[One_Life_To_Give]

9. More difference among ones own gender than between them

While this might be true of the theoretical average for each gender. It glosses over the staggering differences within the individual genders. If 45% of men love to shop for the experience and 55% of women feel likewise. Then the conclusion in the OP would be correct but; Unless your in a position to deal with aggregate averages, say a store display designer, then whats the point. When dealing with an individual your probability of guessing wrong using only gender as a measure is hardly better than having no information at all.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Parking wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for those lady drivers!

And the damn Chinese, too!

:sarcasm:

[gollygee]

12. These kinds of "studies" are usuallly bullshit

and 68% of statistics are pulled out of thin air.

Anyway, everyone browses if they're looking at something they enjoy looking at.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

13. agreed completely!

I wish I could get paid for a study that tells people what the already know to be true (with a few exceptions).

sP

[Lilith Velkor]

20. As long as it validates gender stereotypes, you can.

If you get into racial or gay stereotypes, that's a problem.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

37. whatever... n/t

[riverdeep]

14. And, boy New York sure is different from L.A. Am I right?

And how bout that airline food?

Sounds like a bit from an eighties comedian. I'm sure they got the answers to the questions they got, and are reporting them accurately, but they've defined shopping in the narrowest of margins. You can shop for clothes, you can shop for hardware, you can shop for a car, you can shop at a farmer's market. These will result in different answers. There are things other than a mall.

I hate shopping for clothes, like my stereotype (although shopping for a suit is a little different). But when it comes to shopping for some things, like musical hardware (instruments, accessories), the shopping experience itself is worthwhile. Even if I don't buy anything, which I usually don't. I love taking along friends with me and talking while we're doing it. I even yak it up with the sales clerk when they tell me what's new. What does that sound like?

Culturally, women are given the model that clothes shopping is a social experience, and that clothes are very, very important. Housewares define your home, traditionally the woman's sphere as well. It's not always a surprise when a large number of that group responds to its model.

[Lilith Velkor]

15. Sexist bullshit. n/t

[blondeatlast]

18. Indeed. nt

[slackmaster]

39. Is anything that describes differences between men and women automatically sexist?

If so, please explain.

[Lilith Velkor]

43. Nope

My empirical analysis has shown that men have penises and women have vaginas.

See? Not sexist.

[slackmaster]

44. Please explain why you think the UoP study cited in the OP is sexist

I read the linked article, and as far as I can see it merely describes general differences in behavior patterns based on a phone survey. It makes no value judgements, nor does it attempt to cast men or women into any particular role. I don't believe that qualifies as sexist.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Anyone ever see the one-man show "Defending the Caveman"? This was his basic premise.

It was a riotously funny show, by the way.

[Clark2008]

19. Not me - I'm a woman who HATES to shop.

I get all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving because the crowds of (mostly women, some men) drive me insane with their inability to choose.

I shop like a guy - go in, check prices, get what I need and leave. I don't WANT to meander around endless and wait in lines miles long. :puke:

[Clark2008]

21. OK... just reading this thread, I've discovered that MAYBE we

need to break-down the female shopping experience between liberals and conservatives.

I would assume from the nature of this board that most females here are liberals and, apparently, judging from the comments, NONE of us (or few of us) like to shop.

Perhaps only conservative women like to "experience" shopping?

[lukasahero]

25. Or perhaps we could start looking at people within each gender/race/religion/political persuasion

as individuals instead of trying to make the world an easy assortment of us and them?

[Clark2008]

26. Good point.

[sandnsea]

47. I generally don't like to shop either

except when I do, like antiquing or craft stores or the Saturday Market. I think people just aren't considering the totality of where they do their "shopping".

[knitter4democracy]

23. What a b.s. article.

It depends on what people are shopping for. Put a guy in Victoria's Secret, and it depends on his fantasy: some linger and really look around, imagining their lovers in whatever they're looking at (or just staring at the booby posters); and some go in, get what they need, and leave quickly with red faces. Put a gal into a tool shop, and some meander around, looking at the different sets, wondering if they'd use metric all that much or if they really need a new hammer; others go in, get what their SO asked for, and leave quickly.

Put a knitter in a yarn shop, male or female, and it's hard to get us out of there. :)

[GTurck]

24. Shopping was more fun

when it was less homogenized. My husband enjoys shopping alot in areas where there is something to look at other than just price. Don't get me wrong we are not rich so price plays a very important roll in what we purchase but when there is real choice of different styles, colors, sizes, life-style of patrons, etc. shopping is more enjoyable. In Chicago there used to be over 8 major department stores (each with a different emphasis in those areas)and myriads of city, state, or regional shops. Today Marshall Field's is another Macy's and Carson, Pirie, Scott is closed down. Wiebolt's and Goldblatt's are long gone; as is the Fair Store and Stevens. They have all been homogenized just like milk - no cream and nothing interesting either. So now I want to get in, find the price I am willing to pay and leave. By the way with all that variety there was actually loyalty too. When you knew a store was selling the things you were interested in and were responding accordingly it made sense. You could actually tell a lot about a man or woman by the clothes they bought from each of the different sources.

[rAVES]

27. In other News from 1922: Women are better at the dishes.

[semillama]

28. I fail to see the analogy between hunting/gathering and male/female shopping.

Of course, the consultant who came up with the analogy is basing it on the loosest knowledge of a stereotype, so of course the analogy fails.

[WinkyDink]

29. I beg to diffa! I shop as a HUNTER, Baybay! I know what I want, and, I wager, so do most women.

Maybe we just want to stay out of the house longer. Heh.

[ProfessorGAC]

30. Not Me

I don't shop. I buy. My wife tells me what to go buy. She's preemptively doing the hunting, and i gather.

I like to drive a lot more than her. So, it works out perfectly. She gives me list. She gives me a check. I gather the goods.

We're the opposite of the premise in the OP.
The Professor

[JHB]

32. Ducks shop as Pommegranetes, Walruses shop as Bannanas...

Little known but vital facts left out of that highly-informative study.

:sarcasm:

[ProfessorGAC]

36. My Pet Walrus Says That's Not True!

You better get your facts straight. My walrus says it never even thinks about being a banana. Coconut; maybe. Never banana.
The Professor

[JHB]

41. I defer to your walrus' expertise...

...and wish it a happy coo coo cachoo.

:evilgrin:

[Skidmore]

33. I hate shopping but I've been both the hunter and the gatherer for many

years, especially the long years of single-parenting, when the garden variety "hunter" I had been married to decided that he'd rather trap bunnies in the field for himself rather than go after the big game to help feed the young he sired. I think it's safe to say that women throughout history have coped similarly. So much for that fine theory espoused by the OP which makes the assumption that men never leave.

[nolabels]

34. Ah ha, you haven't met my wife

I never go shopping with her without a list. Half the time she is in the check out line before i get through the entrance.

[SoCalDem]

35. old shopping cartoon

[slackmaster]

40. I think there is a kernel of truth in that

I spend as little time as possible in stores. I usually have a very specific idea of what I am looking for. If a store doesn't have exactly what I want, I'm out of there in a flash.

[Quantess]

42. It all depends on what department excites the particular individual.

Electronics? Shoes? Books? The auto show? Guitar Center? Sporting goods?

Of course most men don't get as excited as women do when shoe shopping.
As a woman, I have also gotten bored when waiting for a guy to get out of the electronics aisle, the Guitar Center, car dealerships, etc. Every single guy I have ever dated has given me minutes of boredom while he's browsing the cars, guitars, vespas, electronics, The Sharper Image, and auto parts.

For me, it's plants. My boyfriend always has to wait for me when I'm looking at plants. I can't tear myself away from garden centers, and outdoor plant nurseries. I also like to look at art galleries. Oh yeah, and shoes!

"Women, on the other hand, generally like to look around, talk to sales associates and experience the shopping." So does my boyfriend. He's more interactive with salespeople than I am.

Everyone likes to shop for something. It is really outdated and sexist to perpetuate this stereotype that all women love to shop, and all men get bored waiting for them, because men never enjoy shopping. It can be true for a lot of people, but they already know about it. This article isn't telling us anything new or enlightening. I could have written a truer article, if I had written that people enjoy shopping for what interests and excites them, and that it's boring to wait for a spouse who is shopping for something that interests them more than it interests you.

[slackmaster]

45. For me it's hardware stores

I hate shopping for clothing (of course I also hate wearing clothing).

[sandnsea]

48. Exactly

But when men are talking to all those sales people, they're on a mission. We're just absorbing the experience. My husband can spend hours in a computer store or sports store. I would never go with him in a million years.

[Blue_In_AK]

49. This is so opposite of the way me and my husband are...

He does all the shopping, takes his time, browses, comes home with stuff he didn't intend to buy when he set out. Me, I'm in, out and back home before anyone even knows I'm gone. I really hate to shop.