Shopping Isn't Fun

“If men liked shopping, they’d call it research.”

I’m not one who likes to shop just to shop.  However, sometimes I’d like to run away all by myself and shop just for me or maybe take off with another friend.  However, that rarely happens.  Shopping just isn’t all fun.  Most of the shopping I seem to do is for things I have to get.  It's not what I want but what we need. I think that’s the case with a lot of women.  We get a bum rap for shopping because if things need to be purchased, it’s usually us that has to do it.  However, I’m sure there are others who could shop and shop and shop.  I’m not one of those and doubt any of my female friends are either.  We usually shop because we need to get something or maybe just to spend time with someone else.

I find most of the shopping I do is for something or someone else. Maybe I’d enjoy it more if it was all for me.   As an example ….. most of the time I’m in a store it’s to shop for gifts, for food, for Duchess, for Terry, for the RV or for the home base.  It’s rarely because I want to be there to shop for me.  It happens but it’s rare and it’s fast.  I’m not saying to have one day to shop just for me wouldn’t be fun once in a while.  It certainly would be as long as I have a mission, lots of money to spend and the mission is ME.  I’d probably want to start at Fry’s Electronics (my favorite store) and move along from there.  I could browse those aisles and those electronics for hours I’m sure.

 

Now Terry on the other hand LOVES to shop.  He is definitely a shopper.  He has a couple friends who love to shop too.  (You know who you are.)  They can spend hours at flea markets, thrift stores, Home Depots, Lowes and swap meets but they’re guys so that’s another story.  The other day we went shopping because I needed a new swimming suit.  I finally found the swimsuit and in the meantime, Terry found four pairs of pants and a shirt plus a new lamp.  See what I mean?  Then, the day after that he ended up with three new computer games!!

Shopping isn’t fun.  It isn’t fun at all.  We’ve spent more than our fair share of time recently at stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s.  I've told you about it.  You either don’t have any help or you have way too much.  On one recent trip it seemed like every sales associate felt they had to ask us how our day was going.  That gets to be extremely annoying.  We don’t go to those stores to socialize and I really don’t like being asked how my day is going at least a dozen times.   I don’t mind the smiles and hellos but the conversations make you feel you’re at a reunion or something.  

I also hate it when you go to the store and the sales clerks are so busy catching up with each other’s weekend activities that it’s hard to get any help.   Ever been in the middle of checking out and had another store employee choose that time to discuss breaks, hours or days off with the checker.  What about the customer who cuts in with the clerk helping you.  Instead of waiting for your transaction to finish they decide to make you wait.  We were in Radio Shack the other day and this happened while our one item was being put in the register.  The clerk stopped and went to find the item the customer had asked about …. leaving us standing and waiting for him to return.  If we didn’t need the item, we would have walked. out.

What about Best Buy?  Ever shopped there?  Of course you have.  When we’re close sometimes we’ll check Best Buy out.  In the last few months we’ve been in to buy a camera and a printer.  They had the floor models on display but not the item in stock. You can’t buy the floor model because it’s there to sell more.  If you want the item, they’re more than happy to order it for you.    NOT!  Remember … we wanted it yesterday or we would have already ordered it from Amazon or another online shopping site.

Ever have a clerk decide to welcome you by yelling “hello” to your back when you’ve already walked several aisles past her.    What are you supposed to do?  Should you keep on walking or stop, turn around and greet her?

We stopped by Ace Hardware looking for metal stakes.  We found some but they had no price.  It took three clerks to try to figure out the price.  Finally a price was thrown out by the manager.  Instead of offering a competitive price the manager suggested we go across the street and buy from a different supply place because they were cheaper.  Ever been referred to a competitor by a manager?

Maybe there’s a reason I don’t particularly like to shop.  Isn’t it wonderful that the internet came along and we can get most of what we want online.  The problem with that is usually when I discover I want something, I don’t want to wait for it. 

Okay, I could go on and on with so many reasons why shopping isn’t always fun but at times it really can be.  We’ve all got our little pet peeves.   What happened to the days when you dressed up to hit the mall or downtown.  Shopping may not be fun but if you like people watching then you might just want to go shopping.  You never know who or what you’re going to see and that could make for a very interesting day.

Shopping is also great exercise.  If you shop long enough, you burn up lots of calories so you could call it exercising instead of shopping.  With all those calories burned you could use it as an excuse to stop at Wild Buffalo Wings on your way home.

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I just have to add a little update to this blog.  I had no sooner finished writing and saving it when I got a text from Tammi.  She wanted to know if I wanted to go shopping with her!  She had a mission.  What did I say?  I said "yes".  So, I was off to exercise.

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Right now we're struggling with internet.  I'm  having a difficult time reading them, commenting on them and especially pulling up any posted pictures.  Actually, I'm not pulling up any pictures.   Last night it took about an hour to read and post on four blogs!  Ugh!  Internet is better in the morning before the hoards of people around the lake start using their smart phones and internet.
Won't the weekend soon be over? 

‘Tis life on the road.