Shopping the male way.

[Globalti]

I absolutely detest clothes shopping and only do it as a last resort when I can't buy online. I was beginning to panic about finding Mrs Gti something for Christmas until last weekend when she dropped a hint about a wool sweater she needed as her old ones are wearing out. Being well-trained I picked up the hint on my spidey radar, said nothing and went off to check the size in her labels where I saw "small" and "X5" which baffled me, but I thought might be some special shop code. Checked online and spotted that Kendals in Manchester have a decent discount going on wool sweaters but you can't be trusting the post this week so after lunch I bunked off work and mounted a precision commando-style raid, which was unbelieveably successful. I drove straight to the Kendals car park where two blokes in jobsworth jackets were telling people the car park was full but just as I began to move off I spotted a car leaving so they allowed me to enter. More luck came my way when I spotted a shopper walking towards her car, asked her where she was parked and managed to bag her space. Nipped into the store and quickly found the posh sweaters department. "What size?" asked the charming assistant. "It says small or X5 in her sweaters." I replied. "That'll be XS!" she replied with only a hint of a pitying smile.

Paid on credit card so she wouldn't see it, took the goods and scarpered. In the hour I paid to park I also managed to find some posh chocolates as a stocking filler and visit the Rapha store to drink a coffee and finger some expensive clothes, still leaving the city centre before the traffic jams built up.

Do I get today's CC award for successful shopping?

 

[Oxo]

Not until you tell us what you bought in Rapha.

 

[Globalti]

Ha ha, nothing! I resisted!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

order on line - get it delivered to her work - tell her not to open it. That's the male way.

 

[Markymark]

So naive. Thinking it's been successful when she hasn't even seen it yet. You'll receive the look of someone who bought what they were told rather than being able to read her flippin mind for the actual description.

 

[Globalti]

Well it's a brand she likes and it's black like her old ones so I'm reasonably confident she'll like it.

Last year I panicked and bought her a pashmina shawl, which I could tell she didn't like as soon as she unwrapped it. Then she spotted a snag in the cloth and asked if I minded her taking it back. In the meantime the store put the remaining stock on Sale so when she came home she was fuming, thinking I'd only paid the sale price. You can't win.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

it's black

Black is so last year.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I asked the wife where we were with the Xmas shopping to be told I'd need to go down the town to find gifts for my mum, two sisters, their husbands and my niece.

I could have got in the car, battled the Xmas traffic, found a parking space, traipsed round the town centre and it would have taken most of the day. Instead I got three bottles of perfume, one box of make-up, a shirt and a jersey on Amazon. 15 minutes, maybe 20 at the most. They were delivered this morning. Amazon was designed with men in mind I think.

 

[MichaelW2]

"Same again squire" is my retail strategy, whenever possible

 

[ColinJ]

I prefer my technique ...

A small gift was required and I remembered mention of a female singer/songwriter so I got the daughter of the intended recipient to check the CD collection of her mum. The album in question was not to be found so I ordered it on Amazon for just under £5.

Then I ordered a u-lock for myself for £23 to qualify for free postage!

 

[Tin Pot]

I bunked off work and mounted a precision commando-style raid, which was unbelieveably successful.

Clothes shopping without pants on, I like your style.

 

[tyred]

 

[Salad Dodger]

I am utterly rubbish at choosing clothes for Mrs Salad as a present.

So what we do now is we set aside a day and go on a "dedicated" shopping trip, during which she can choose herself the clothes she likes. My role is to carry the bags, maybe agree/disagree about potential purchases, and pay the bill.

On the day, I will go with her, and the rule is that we can spend as long as she likes, in any shops she likes, and we can go back and look a second or third time if necessary. I will not complain. My only proviso is that we do not get sidetracked into looking for other household stuff, like bedding, towels, crockery and so on. We must say "on task" and find Mrs S the clothes/shoes she likes, even if it takes all day.

It means she doesn't get surprise gifts of clothe, but it also means she doesn't have to take my hopeless choices back in the post Christmas returns period.

 

[nickyboy]

I am utterly rubbish at choosing clothes for Mrs Salad as a present.

So what we do now is we set aside a day and go on a "dedicated" shopping trip, during which she can choose herself the clothes she likes. My role is to carry the bags, maybe agree/disagree about potential purchases, and pay the bill.

On the day, I will go with her, and the rule is that we can spend as long as she likes, in any shops she likes, and we can go back and look a second or third time if necessary. I will not complain. My only proviso is that we do not get sidetracked into looking for other household stuff, like bedding, towels, crockery and so on. We must say "on task" and find Mrs S the clothes/shoes she likes, even if it takes all day.

It means she doesn't get surprise gifts of clothe, but it also means she doesn't have to take my hopeless choices back in the post Christmas returns period.

This, in my experience, is the difficult thing to balance. You can't disagree too much with what she thinks looks good as you will seem to be foisting your taste on her. But at the same time you can't give her the impression it's "whatever, if you like it, I like it".

An absolute farking nightmare and one I can never get right

 

[ColinJ]

I just had a flashback to trying to impress a young woman in a pub when I was 23 ...

ColinJ: So, I had learned to read before I even started school!

Attractive woman, looking me up and down: That's amazing! There is just one question that I have to ask you now ...

ColinJ (thinking that the woman was clearly interested): Feel free - ask me any question that you like!

Gorgeous woman: DOES YOUR MUM STILL BUY YOUR CLOTHES FOR YOU!!!!!

ColinJ: I, er, oh, aaaaaaaaaaargh!