Shopping With Your Spouse/SO

Jules

Jules

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Do you go shopping with your spouse? Or do you insist that they come along and they wait with you while you’re browsing? I’ve seen some seriously bored men hovering while waiting. I’ve also seen the rare one who is busy selecting clothes.
 

I have never gone shopping with Michelle...and vice versa.

If she's going shopping someplace she thinks might have something I want, she'll ask "Do you want anything from Kohl's?" (for example) And I'll say "No, thanks," and she'll get me something anyway; a sack o' socks, a sweatshirt...whatever, just something.

Whenever she goes to Walmart or Michael's, she almost always gets me sewing notions, which is pretty adorable. She doesn't even know what they are, sometimes. And sometimes, neither do I. I have 3 machines, and they're all really old....nothin' fancy on 'em.
 

When we were first married my husband came home with a present for me. I unwrapped it and there were 3 pair of ladies Knickers, one pink, one blue and one white. I said, "How did you know what size to buy me"? and he said, "I asked the shop lady what size she was and I said she looks about the same size as you". I said, "they are 3 sizes too big, thanks a lot" Because in those days you couldn't return underwear to the shop, I put them in the trash can. He did mean well though..
 
I used to go "handbag" shopping with my ex. I can't tell you the number of stores we visited to get just the right purse. It had to be big, but not big. It had to have pockets, but it couldn't look bulky. It had to be brown, black, or tan, but it couldn't be brown, black or tan. There were about 2,000 other specifications the new purse had to be, and she knew somewhere there was the perfect purse. All, we had to do was check out every store on the planet. She never bought a purse..
 
Jules said:
Do you go shopping with your spouse? Or do you insist that they come along and they wait with you while you’re browsing? I’ve seen some seriously bored men hovering while waiting. I’ve also seen the rare one who is busy selecting clothes.
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Ironically, my ex really liked shopping, usually for guy things, and I was the bored one. I never asked him to go clothes or grocery shopping with me. I didn't really want his opinion on my clothing, but some grocery guidance would have been nice since I was cooking for him. But food shopping together was a very rare exception. Again, when I’d ask him what he wanted for dinner I would very rarely get a definitive answer. It was just another area I was “in charge” of, according to him. It was also the set-up of, “You make something and I will render judgement upon it.” I was just a serf in his kingdom.


My mom liked shopping too but it was never boring with her. She was fun. She liked to try new things so even grocery shopping could be fun because if we found something new and asked her if we could try it, she’d usually say yes if it was not too expensive.
 
My husband does most of the shopping. Like vintage, I’m usually the bored one. While he’s doing the shopping I’m either waiting in the car with the dogs, or at home with the dogs. Most shopping , if not ALL, I do is done online. I’m not fond of shopping with my husband. I love him dearly but he’s very impatient.
 
Capt Lightning said:
We usually shop together unless it's something trivial or occasions when I'm buying things like tools or building materials. We also shop together for clothes and it really annoys me that often UK shops, unlike European ones, do not provide nice seating areas for the men to wait while their women folk try on clothes.
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I know what you mean... but I was delighted to see in the Dolphin centre ( shopping mall) in Poole the other day t.. a Big area roped off on the ground floor .. with a whole bunch of deckchairs.. and a Mahussive Flat screen tv... must have been 20 feet wide... and all for people who were waiting for others while they're shopping..I was mightily impressed...
 
I prefer to shop alone and pick up stuff for hubby and sons when I see something that they need (I check with them first). I take my oldest son when I go to Costco so he can do all the work and I do allow him some snacks he picks for himself and the rest of us. Hubby will come with me if he wants something but all he does is look and grab and pay...no browsing.
 
Jules said:
Do you go shopping with your spouse? Or do you insist that they come along and they wait with you while you’re browsing? I’ve seen some seriously bored men hovering while waiting. I’ve also seen the rare one who is busy selecting clothes.
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I do miss shopping at the grocery store and home stores with my husband since his passing. Although, shopping for clothes he would stay away from that 😂
 
hollydolly said:
I know what you mean... but I was delighted to see in the Dolphin centre ( shopping mall) in Poole the other day t.. a Big area roped off on the ground floor .. with a whole bunch of deckchairs.. and a Mahussive Flat screen tv... must have been 20 feet wide... and all for people who were waiting for others while they're shopping..I was mightily impressed...
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That‘s a great idea.
 
Sometimes DH is the driver so I try to find ‘tasks’ that he can deal with while I look at as much as possible. He’s usually content to stay in the car for a while and read the news, etc on his phone. I do like it when he’s there at the end to help me pack the bags.

He would describe the shopping trip as “I waited patiently for an hour while she dillydallied.” I’d say “I raced through the store for 12 minutes.”
 
In general, I don't. If we go to the food co-op or a supermarket together, I'll scurry around and get a thing or two on the list. DW knows its my way of trying to get the shopping process finished ASAP. And the thing is, on my own I really only like buying something I know beforehand that I need. Could be an article of clothing, or some component to fix an electrical circuit, or anything else.

So I make specific lists. I'm very direct when in a store and just go directly to find (if I can) what I want. For instance, if it's a tool, I'll go to the specific section and focus-in on the particular item among several similar options. Then I head to checkout and make the purchase. But for DW, there's a savoring, a relishing, in the shopping process.😯
 
I just gotta tell this story:

Years ago my step-mother, dad and I all went shopping together in an enormous department store. We all kind of wandered off separately while browsing. About 30 minutes before closing time, my dad and I found each other, and I asked "Where's Laura?" My dad said, "Not to worry, this happens all the time, and we'll meet up at the register." "But, Dad," where could she have gotten to?" According to him, "She's probably in ladies' ready-to-wear. She'll be out in the spring."
 
In Europe, it was perfectly normal for men to have seating inside the changing area so the women could ask for their opinion. The most backward store I came upon was a branch of Marks and Spencer. The changing area was empty so I waited there while Mrs. L tried on some clothes. it wasn't long before some officious women asked me to leave and I asked why. She said it was for ladies only and I pointed out that it was signed 'changing rooms' not Ladies changing rooms.

Mrs. L reappeared with an armful of clothes and asked why I wasn't there to see them. I said that this women wouldn't allow me into the area, and Mrs.L almost went 'ballistic'. Having pointed out that this wasn't the Victorian era, she threw the clothes at the woman and said she wasn't going to buy them because of her attitude.

I went to customers services and complained, but they weren't interested.
 
Capt Lightning said:
In Europe, it was perfectly normal for men to have seating inside the changing area so the women could ask for their opinion. The most backward store I came upon was a branch of Marks and Spencer. The changing area was empty so I waited there while Mrs. L tried on some clothes. it wasn't long before some officious women asked me to leave and I asked why. She said it was for ladies only and I pointed out that it was signed 'changing rooms' not Ladies changing rooms.

Mrs. L reappeared with an armful of clothes and asked why I wasn't there to see them. I said that this women wouldn't allow me into the area, and Mrs.L almost went 'ballistic'. Having pointed out that this wasn't the Victorian era, she threw the clothes at the woman and said she wasn't going to buy them because of her attitude.

I went to customers services and complained, but they weren't interested.
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Marks and Spencer only lasted about 5 years, here in Canada, for that very reason. Unwilling to adapt to the new country, and an attitude of "take it or leave it, we don't care ".
 
JBR said:
In general, I don't. If we go to the food co-op or a supermarket together, I'll scurry around and get a thing or two on the list. DW knows its my way of trying to get the shopping process finished ASAP. And the thing is, on my own I really only like buying something I know beforehand that I need. Could be an article of clothing, or some component to fix an electrical circuit, or anything else.

So I make specific lists. I'm very direct when in a store and just go directly to find (if I can) what I want. For instance, if it's a tool, I'll go to the specific section and focus-in on the particular item among several similar options. Then I head to checkout and make the purchase. But for DW, there's a savoring, a relishing, in the shopping process.😯
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😀 That’s us. That’s why three items can cost me $84 and fill 5 bags.
 
iu
 
My husband likes to shop more than I do. He comes along for grocery shopping, pushes the cart and will grab a few things as we go along, but I do most of the actual shopping.

He's the best wing man I've ever had for clothes shopping, including my sisters and closest girlfriends. He stands outside the dressing room while I try things on, gives his opinion, and also runs off to get me different sizes while I change. He often returns with several other items, saying that he saw those while grabbing the sizes I requested and thought they'd look good on me. When I dither between outfits, he recommends I buy them all.

No need to tell me how lucky I am, I already know ❤️
 

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