Very early in our relationship, my hubby went shopping with me for a purse. Note that I said "very early." There are many things men will do early in a relationship that go out the door when a couple settles into reality - like purse shopping or eating green bean casserole (don't ask). After that early purse excursion, we learned that if we wanted to keep love alive, purse, clothes or shoes shopping should be my department. It must have been a good call, because we've been happily married now for over 20 years.
I hadn't really thought about how men and women shop better for different things until I read about a study in the UK's Daily Mail Online. The study, commissioned by The Co-operative Food, focused on how men and women feel about and deal with grocery shopping. Although women are considered the experts at shopping, our prowess stops at the doors of the grocery store. Yes, Virginia, the study found that women get more flustered and stressed in supermarkets.
Researchers studied around 2,000 people and found that despite the fact that women are more likely to enter the weekly grocery shopping frey armed with lists and coupons, the experience throws us into a complete tizzy. Women hate the crowds at the store, feel rushed at the checkout and are generally shocked at the cost of purchases. Two thirds of the women studied said they disliked fighting crowds to get what they wanted and 34% hate it when other people's children get into their way. 1 in 10 of the women confessed to getting into arguments at the store with other shoppers over things like shopping carts, fighting over the same item or line jumping.
Grocery shopping, it seems, is an activity that men excel at and enjoy. "Men seem to adopt a much more laid back and methodical approach, taking their time looking for bargains and make sure they’re getting the most for their money."
The study found that 51% of the men are more likely to opt for brands they know while 26% of the women grab the first brand they find because it helps speed up the shopping. It found that women are more likely to ask for help in locating something, but men are more likely to use technology to make the shopping easier.
Authors of the study say that for women, grocery shopping is apt to be just another on a long list of things they have to do so women rush through the grocery store "to conduct the shopping as quickly as possible." Researchers theorize that there is a "new breed of male supermarket shoppers." I find a lot of the studies I run across interesting, and may share them with blog readers even if I personally consider them to be chock full of hogwash. I'm sharing this one for the opposite reason -- based on personal experience, I think it's absolutely accurate.
I hate a grocery store. Just the sight of one makes me feel tense and unhappy. One of the happiest days in my life was when Lowe's Foods came to Myrtle Beach because of the Lowe's To Go Service. It meant I could order my groceries online and schedule a pickup time. I'd drive into the parking lot, push a loudspeaker button to announce my presence, and an amazing employee would wheel my groceries right out to my car. It was life altering for me - and it still would be today. The only reason I stopped using the service is because of a change in workschedules and hours, my hubby started doing the grocery shopping. He prefers going into the supermarket and engaging in that whole battle.
It was hard for me to understand how my DH could possible enjoy the shopping experience, but the new study indicates that he's not alone. It turns out that the grocery store is a man's world. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm very, very okay with that. Really, I'm okay with anything that keeps me out of the grocery store.
Don't tell my hubby, but he's much better at grocery buying than I am! Besides, my DH looks so cute pushing around that shopping cart...