How long should you spend shopping?

The answer to this question largely depends on who you ask as the majority of men will claim that they spend far too long waiting for their girlfriend to go around one shop as they, themselves, can be in and out of men’s clothing shops within just a few minutes. Research shows that women will spend more than eight years of their lives shopping in comparison to men who spend around three years less, but is this lack of time spent shopping all about men not enjoying shopping or simply because they are more efficient shoppers?

Men’s clothing vs. women’s clothing

What men shop for will make a difference to how long they spend shopping as figures show that men shopping for electronic goods such as a new television will take a lot longer to find the perfect screen than they will to find the perfect shirt.

Women, however, spend their shopping time looking for the following:

Footwear (40 hours per year)

Food shopping (90 hours per year)

Women’s clothing (101 hours per year)

They also spend almost 50 hours a year just window shopping – a habit most men find as confusing and as infuriating as women do the offside rule in football! Shopping trips for men’s clothing is far quicker as men tend not to deliberate like women do – if they see something they like, they buy it, and that’s probably why many claim that ‘men buy but women actually shop’.

Online vs. high street

There is little difference between men and women when it comes to online buying as although men like to shop simply and quickly (a trait the internet is famous for), women also find the internet a huge allure when it comes to making shopping simple. As well as women’s clothing other options such as grocery shopping and gifts can all be done via the internet and online shopping is just as popular with women as it is men.

How much do we spend?

While many men will claim their girlfriends spend far too much money on shopping, figures suggest that men spend around the same amount of money, although far less time on shopping. This could be because men will focus on buying a new car rather than spending hours in a men’s clothing store, while women enjoy the act of shopping and often would rather come home with 10 bags filled with lots of goodies than just one expensive item from one shop. Another popular theory is that women like to shop around for a bargain whereas men often just buy the first item that fits their core requirements.

With expenditures on about a par with each other it’s hard to stake a claim as to who shops more efficiently and why.