June 17th, 2008
Shopping as Female Bonding
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Women get a thrill out of shopping while men get a thrill out of footing the bill. Paco Underhill explains on page 115-116 of ‘Why We Buy‘ that there are historical reasons why shopping means more to women than it does to men —
The nature-over-nurture types posit that the prehistoric role of women as homebound gatherers of roots, nuts and berries rather than roaming hunters of woolly mammoths proves a biological inclination towards skillful shopping. The nurture-over-nature fans argue that for centuries, the all-powerful patriarchy kept women in the house and out of the world of commerce, except as consumers at the retail level.
This much is certain: shopping was what got the housewife out of the house. It was (and, in many parts of the world, remains) women’s main realm of public life. If, as individuals, they had little influence in the world of business, in the marketplace they collectively called the shots. Shopping gave women a good excuse to sally forth, sometimes even in blissful solitude, beyond the clutches of family. It was the first form of women’s liberation, affording an activity that lent itself to socializing with other adults, clerks and store owners and fellow shoppers.
As women’s lives change, though, their relationship to shopping must evolve. And so the routine shopping trip is no longer the great escape. It’s now something that must be crammed into the tight spaces between job and commute and home life and sleep.
The use of shopping as a social activity seems unchanged, however. Women still like to shop with friends, egging each other on and rescuing each other from ill-advised purchases. I don’t think we’ll ever see two men set off on a day of hunting for the perfect bathing suit… When two women shop together, they often spend more time and money than women alone. They certainly can outshop and outspend women saddled with male companions. Two women in a store can be a shopping machine and wise retailers do whatever they can to encourage this behavior — promotions such as being-a-friend-get-a-discount, or seating areas just outside dressing rooms, to allow for more relaxed try-ons… Stores with cafes on the premises allow women to shop, then take a break, without ever leaving sight of the selling floor.
By the way, I have spent an entire day with Rana shopping for the perfect shoes, which is different from shopping for the perfect bathing suit, but still…
