Are there any other women

[one_voice]

that the "shopping gene" skipped?

I absolutely hate shopping. With the exception of book stores, I could spend a day in a book store and spend a fortune. :evilgrin:

Other than that I HATE shopping. Am I alone?

And what's with the shoe obsession? My daughter has 60 pairs?!?!? I don't get it. :crazy:

[Kali]

1. I don't have the clothes shopping gene for sure,

but careful turning me loose in a hardware or feed store. Import stores can be dangerous for me, too.

[Missy Vixen]

2. I love the bookstore

I do not love clothes shopping. There are some things one has to buy in person (bras come to mind,) but as much as possible comes from online or catalogs.

I have very wide feet. As a result, I have five pairs of shoes. I can't imagine sixty pairs of shoes! ;-)

[Captain Hilts]

10. Another wide foot right here!

I wear men's shoes whenever possible. They're so much more comfortable.

[raccoon]

88. Another one here. New Balance is good about wide sizes, other brands,

it's usually hard to find Women's Wides. Easier just to buy a man's medium....

[one_voice]

20. I'm like you..

Catalogs are the way to go. I've found two bras I love, and am able to buy them from a catalog. YAY!!!

My husband tells my daughter every couple of months she needs to purge. The amount of clothes the girl has is ridiculous! When she does purge, she donates everything, then starts the shopping again. She'll shop for anything except groceries. Hope she marries someone that'll do it for her. :-)

[MorningGlow]

25. I just completed a purge earlier in the week--it felt great

Two contractor bags full of clothes and one full of shoes for charity, and 95% of it was mine (1% Mr. MG, 4% MG Jr.), all accumulated over many years when I worked FT. I have been a SAHM and freelancer for three years, so I think it was only fair to ditch the dress-up clothes. I figure if I ever had to go back to an office, they'd all be out of date anyway (plus I wouldn't be able to fit my ass into half of them anymore).

All the shoes (black and brown!) had been accumulated over more than 10 years, I think. No, wait, I tell a lie--one pair of hiking boots goes all the way back to '94. They got me all over England and home again.

[Dappleganger]

3. The only thing that I enjoy shopping for is techie stuff...

things for my motorcycle and weirdo kitchen gadgets.

Dh says that I'm an odd wench. ;-)

[LeftyMom]

4. I like thrift stores, but I would sooner get poked in the eye with a sharp stick than go to the mall

Maybe I'm just cheap.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. It skipped me too, my dear one_voice!

I like to shop out of catalogs...

Going into a clothing store is rapidly an exercise in fatigue and frustration!

:hi:

[dropkickpa]

6. Book store, oh yeah, anywhere else I can skip

I usually am a zoom in and zoom out shopper. I don't like wandering through stores aimlessly. I go in to buy a specific item, and then leave. End of story. Spending hours in a store makes me want to stab people. Repeatedly.

The book store, though, I could spend days in if I had the funds to. I am ridiculously acquisitive when it comes to books, I want all of the books that catch my attention, I can never have enough and I hate to give them away.

[Tikki]

7. Especially shoes...I don't do shoes well at all...

Tikki

[Captain Hilts]

9. Only men's shoes have room for my left little toe. I'm a runner, so my feet are wide. nt

[Captain Hilts]

8. Right here. It missed my mother also.

I have two pair of brown shoes, a black pair of shoes - expensive ones that I'll be able to wear for years.

Then casual shoes - running, etc.

[mycatfred]

11. I hate shopping for myself

I dread stores. But I like helping other people shop for clothes. I like shopping electronics and books, and that's it.

[GirlAfire]

12. It Didn't Skip Me

People plead with me when I'm shopping to just STOP. But sometimes I can't. :(

[Captain Hilts]

13. What kind of things do you buy?

[GirlAfire]

18. Everything!

I remember one evening in which I just visited each individual store in a big mall - the clothes shops, the shoe shops, the tech shops, the music shops - everything really. I wish shopping were my job. :P

[coffeenap]

14. Me! But it landed on my daughter, lol!

She can wear anything so shopping with her is a fairy tale. Me? I hold my breath, literally, twice a year or so, and gather whatever I can on those two days so I can look socially acceptable when required. Yuck!!

[Captain Hilts]

16. Nothing fits me. I'm getting my next suit made to order. I've no alternative.

The arms are too tight.

The jacket's too long.

I hate the material.

and so on...

[MorningGlow]

15. Conundrum: I'm writing a chick lit novel

I'm afraid it's going to be rejected by any publisher I send it to because it does NOT include the requisite fetishes of designer shoes and handbags. But what can I do? I don't give a good goddamn about what kind of purse I carry (I usually get mine from Target) and the obsession with ugly shoes is lost on me. I buy brown shoes and black shoes (boots, loafers/tie-ups, sandals) and sneakers. The fancy (ugly) ones just make me :puke:

As for clothes, I do like perusing catalogs and so get most of mine mail-order. Prevents the agony of having to look at myself in a poorly lit dressing-room mirror.

Bookstores are all right, but I spent too many years working in them, so they hold no fascination for me. I do like buying books, however. Right now I'm spending way too much money on children's classics for MG Jr. We just read Harriet the Spy and are now most of the way through Half Magic. :)

[Captain Hilts]

17. Sounds like my shoe collection. nt

[realisticphish]

21. don't be discouraged

look at your novel as a way to reject what is defined as "chick lit"

[MorningGlow]

26. That's my pitch!

I'm redefining chick lit for the intelligent woman. :D

[realisticphish]

27. frankly

I think the whole idea of "chick lit" is insulting. Not the plots, or the characters, but the idea of "these books are for women!"

Not to say that this isn't a valid genre. But the genre has become pigeonholed as (like you said) "shopping, fashion, guys, lol." I don't read much modern fiction in any case, but I would imagine that there are plenty of "chick lit" novels which are perfectly appealing to men. But they've been saddled with all the baggage that comes along with the label, and a great book that just happens to have a female protagonist is lost forever to many people. Jane Austin is a great example; a female author, with female characters, and female-focused themes, and I'm a huge fan of (most of) her work. She isn't "chick lit;" she's "classic."

It's all semantics and marketing, but I think it does cause a real problem in terms of getting your work to the widest possible audience

[MorningGlow]

29. Many of them are appallingly written as well

I completely agree with you, and I resisted writing a chick lit novel for many years because of the stigma the genre carried, but then I realized that it was the only genre that fit the story I wanted to tell--although it didn't fit it perfectly (like the shoes and handbags thing). It is sad that any novel with a female protagonist has to be isolated as "for wimmins only" (unless said protagonist has some horrible backstory full of agony and angst, or unless she's a detective--or both ;) ).

I think Jane Austen is the quintessential chick lit author--or at least what chick lit should be--strong female leads who get their happily ever after, albeit not without some bumps and bruises along the way. And no focus on shoes and handbags! :D

[SwampG8r]

59. may i?

i read what is defined as "chick lit"
i am a 53 year old straight guy and i read everything so i read what ever anyone else just finished
my wife reads what is called "chick lit" (thats where i get mine)
and i urge you to please not include the "girly" stuff
a lot of times i am really into a story and its almost like they are stopping the story to say
"please be advised this story is written by a woman"
i may not be saying it well but there are times when that stuff does take away from the story

[MorningGlow]

68. Ooh maybe I'll have a market after all

;)

[tango-tee]

19. I hate shopping for clothes

because those damn cubicles in the stores make me claustrophobic. Not only that, they make me homicidal. Just as soon as I stand there in my knickers and bra, the salesperson without any warning will rip the curtain aside - exposing my cellulite for all to see - and bellow "I'll get you a larger size!". Yeah, you might as well get me a .357 magnum while you're at it.

There's no place to put my stuff... winter coat, mittens, bags, whatever. The lighting makes me look like I have a horrible illness by turning my face an odd shade of grayish green. The mirrors must be borrowed from the haunted house, because they make me appear at least 20 pounds heavier.

Shopping trips and I are not a good match.

I'm sticking with online shopping for clothes. I'm the jeans, sweater and loafers type of woman anyway, just carefree. I want to be comfortable in the clothes I wear.

On the other hand, danger lurks in bookstores and antique shops, or pottery and poster stores. They are a whole different thing. I can stay for hours and spend some serious money.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

22. I am not a recreational shopper --

with the exception of thrift stores for mid-century collectibles. Otherwise, it is all business with me -- I get in, get what I need, and get the heck out as quickly as possible.

As for shoes -- I only buy Converse, usually red Chuck Taylor low-tops. :shrug: Other than that, I have one pair of vintage apres ski boots and one pair of pumps -- that seems to get me by just fine.

[Orsino]

23. My wife seems nearly immune.

While she can enjoy shopping for stereotypically girlie things, she is of a get-in-get-out mindset. She shops without dithering.

[CBR]

24. I dont like shopping at all. I would much rather

go to a game.

[alarimer]

28. I hate it with the fires of a thousand suns

But I am not "normal" anyway, for a woman.

I don't wear makeup (in fact I have no idea how to put it on even if I had to, say if I was going on TV or something- not that I will do that anytime soon but still).

I loathe weddings too. Some of it is that I just hate being the center of attention and it would embarrass me too much. Even though I am in a good relationship, and we may get married someday, I am going to outright refuse to do a wedding. None of that bullshit for me. No dress, no flowers, no shower, etc. I think it bothers him a little because he wants to do the whole thing in front of (his numerous) family and I am simply incapable of dealing with all that.

In fact, I wear the kind of clothes that mark me as a candidate for "What not to wear". That show pisses me off. It's just mean. Fashion sucks, come to think of it. I buy the bulk of my clothing at a sporting goods store but, then, I work outside most of the time, in Texas no less, so I wear things that make that a little more bearable and provide some protection from the elements. I suppose if I had a real job, I'd wear real clothes. Grudgingly. I do dress up for job interviews. That first impression is important, even though most of the time I am interviewing with people who know me and know what I wear regularly.

[one_voice]

32. Wow...

I'm a lot like you. I don't wear make-up..occasionally for a special occasion I'll put on mascara and a little lip-gloss. Even when I worked and wore make-up it was very little. I prefer the natural look, what you see is what you get.

I prefer to wear jeans and sneakers or sweats in the winter. In the summer shorts and flip-flops. I think I'm getting a little old for shorts (43 this year), but I don't care if it's hot I want to be comfortable. Besides my husband loves the fact I'm so "non-girlie". No manicures, or pedicures I paint my own toe nails in the summer.

When I got married I wore a very simple dress, got married and had the reception all in one place. It was all about the party. 20 plus years later I don't regret not having a big fancy wedding. I had fun. My husband brought a little tv cuz the football playoffs were on, and we were watching. My granny nearly had a stroke. :-)

:toast:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

49. We are already in T shirts and shorts summer weather in TX.

[sarge43]

30. Sistah!

We may have been separated at birth.

I just returned from the Littleton Village Book Store where I put a dent in the checking account. "Betcha you can't buy just one."

Otherwise, I loathe shopping.

I don't get the shoe thing either. I have two pair of dress shoes, three casuals. Most of the time I wear my Shoes for Crews loafers, sandals, house booties or bare footed it. I'm for comfort, not looks. In the winter I wear Uggs because they're damn fine snow boots.

[one_voice]

36. Yup...

I'm all about comfort. I think you're happier, more relaxed, when you're comfortable.

I love used book stores! Nothing better. Great way to try new authors and collect series.

I'm hooked on the web site goodreads.com I'm on it for hours. Great site to check out reviews on books you're interested in, or find new authors to read. Check it out you might like it.

:toast:

[sarge43]

38. Thanks for the tip about goodreads.com

I will check it out.

:fistbump:

[NewJeffCT]

31. I wish my wife had missed out in it... or else

didn't feel the need to drag me along when she does go shopping!

[Bucky]

33. I think I love you. Oops, that was inappropriate. Let's pretend I didn't hit the reply button.

Oh shit, is it too late to recover my dignity and cool exterior of detachment? Stupid, stupid, stupid...

[one_voice]

41. Shhhh..

I won't tell anyone if you don't. Your dignity is intact and you're still cool!!

:hi:

[NV Whino]

34. It skipped me for sure

I just ordered about $100 worth of t-shirts from Lands End. That should hold me for several years.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

35. I hate shopping as well and I have a personal saying

"Get in, get it, and get out."

I used to go in and buy over a thousand dollars worth of clothes within 15 minutes. If it looked good, I bought it.

I just threw out about 25 pairs of shoes to charity. Glad to help.

[Phentex]

37. I despise it...rather be tasered...

makes getting dressed difficult at times, lol. I have always been this way.

[Crystal Clarity]

39. A kindred spirit

Book shopping is the only shopping I enjoy.

[yankeepants]

40. Garage Sale-yes Mall-Nooooooooooo!

[one_voice]

44. I love garage sales..

You can find so many treasures. When my kids were little I bought most of their clothes at garage/yard sales. Kids clothes are expensive and they out grow them so fast.

Malls are proof Satan exists.

[alphafemale]

42. Do most shopping online.

But I can spend some time in a thrift shop. Love thrift shops. My latest huge score was a bowling ball, a bag and shoes for....are you ready....$2.

:woohoo:

[carlyhippy]

43. IF I were...skinnier and wealthier....I would be a shopaholic

but as it is now, no, I hate shopping.

[Jade Fox]

45. Malls freak me out...

I can't stay in a shopping mall for more than about a half hour. That sort of kills the possibility of much shopping.

I find I do sort of like shopping on line.

[Happyhippychick]

46. I only like to shop for sheets and anything in Crate and Barrel. Other than that, hate it.

[dana_b]

47. me! me!!!

Don't tell anyone but I only own....shhhh.... 8 pairs of shoes! I need new jeans like you don't even know but I hate going out to geth them.

Can't i watch the Cubs instead of shopping - please??

[Captain Hilts]

50. The GREAT thing about wearing men's jeans is that the styles NEVER change, so you can

order them online. Whew!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

48. When I used to go to NYC with my ex every now and then, I loved it

but I didn't actually buy all that much! That was when my folks were alive, so we had someplace to stay, and it was a quick ride into the City.

All those cool little weird shops in Greenwich Village and Soho and Chelsea and China Town and and and and and and....it's like being in a museum, only you can TOUCH everything!! I could spend hours and hours just browsing.... oooohhhh the visual and tactile stimulation.......

:)

Now, I rarely shop; there's not much other than crappy chain stores out here. To get to anything more interesting is a long drive and that just drains out the energy.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

51. I retired so I don't have to buy yuppie suits anymore.

Thank Minerva.

I used to buy my good shoes at Needless Markup b/c they sell Ferragamos which are the softest and most comfy dress shoes in the world. And they come in my size which is an
8 AAA. The narrowest they make is a quadruple A. Or Bruno Maglis. Italian shoes. I read that the only place they sell the narrow widths is the U.S. Wonder why?

And they start at about $350 now. Anyway, I have bony little feet that I inherited from my dad.

But now I wear sneakers all the time. Skechers and Airwalks. And T shirts and shorts since summer is almost here in TX.

I go in a store, look for what I need and get out. Gardening stores like Lowe's are interesting to me. I get cheap purses at Marshall's. I get well made ladies' swimsuits and shorts at Academy (Speedos).

Bookstores, I can spend days in. When I moved to Redneckistan from Houston, Dear Hubby and I moved 23 bookcases full of books, vinyl records and CDs.
That's your basic 6 ft tall, 3 ft. wide bookcase. 23 of them. And we cover most subjects really well.

[Dystopian]

52. Me.

And you just sent me looking all over for a long lost book...loaned it to my son's friend, never to be seen again.
I need it, I found it! :D
*Poems of Protest Old and New*
I used to sit on the floor at a nearby book store and read poetry all day during my first semester of college.
That did it...turned on, tuned in, dropped out. A book store disrupted my education!

I don't like shopping for clothes unless it's at a thrift store...so that's my whole wardrobe.
I feel very strange in clothing stores...too much fashion, consumerism, etc.
I do have an obsession ...boots. I buy online, even had to buy slipper boots.
Have many pairs I've never worn...

Shopping isn't my thing....but think I'll go check out some boots... ;-)


peace~

[RandomThoughts]

53. I might be able to explain the shoe part, although not from personal thoughts, more academic ones.

In the brain, a big part of the cerebral cortex is for body sensation and both feeling and response. Right next to the brain area of the erotic parts of the body, is the feet parts of the body.

Also there are many ways for brain cells to communicate, one is direct dendrite reaction, or cell to cell more like a current, but there is also the method of release of endorphins in more like a sprinkler, that effects a large area.

So it is possible that if people think enough about shoes, connected to the feet part of the body, they could get spill over into erogenous feeling zones of the brain.

But that is just a guess. It is also one of the theories of people that have foot fetishes, again not from personal experience, but heard that years ago.

[Lorien]

54. Me. I loathe shopping, and dread clothing and shoe shopping in particular

because it takes up more time. Books, on the other hand....

[WildEyedLiberal]

55. I don't care for it either

Once I have enough nice clothes ("nice" as in fit properly, not worn out, acceptable for wear in a variety of situations) that coordinate well enough together, I won't go shopping again for years, when my clothes have either gotten too worn out looking or for some reason no longer fit. As long as I'm happy with the quality of what I'm wearing, I don't need anything else. I couldn't care less about trends or styles - I do wear things that (IMO) flatter me, but I tend to simple things - basic cute tops and girly tees, jeans that fit my figure, comfortable and cute sneakers, etc. I have a smaller collection of "nice" clothes for more formal occasions, but it's similarly simple - nice dress pants, a nice skirt, a dressy top, whatever. I really don't like going clothes shopping unless I have to.

I could spend all day in a bookstore too :)

[nolabear]

56. Nope. Hate it.

[Skittles]

57. I absolutely DETEST shopping

except for book stores. You and I would get along, one_voice. And I DETEST the women-loving-shoes thing - makes women looks stupid and superficial. :puke:

[elleng]

58. I'M WITH YOU!!!

So what the hell happened to my daughters???

[sherryonice]

60. I can't stand shopping.

I'd rather do it all online, and even then Im the worst.

[stewartcolbert08]

61. I was left out of that one also!

I wear the same pear of tennis shoes till there are holes in the soles and in the summer I am perfectly happy with my $5 old navy flip flops! LOL I could spend all day in a used cd store! Not so much clothes or shoes though.

[quakerboy]

62. My wife

Thank the lord above. She also despises jewelry and cut flowers.

[DFW]

63. Sounds just like my wife...

AND my daughter! LOL

[Rhiannon12866]

64. Shopping freaks me out...

I do a surgical strike, in and out as fast as possible, making a bee line for what I want/need. And that includes grocery shopping. Trying on clothes practically sends me into a panic attack. I do it when I have to, and I love getting new things, but the shopping part is very stressful. Catalog and on-line is much easier, but I hate having to send things back more than I do going shopping... x(

[Highway61]

65. I HATE shopping

Especially for clothes and shoes.

[Raffi Ella]

66. I love to shop!

My thing is finding a bargain though. I shop discount chains like Loehmann's and Marshall's and there's some really great second hand stores I shop too. I've found the most amazing bargains on really great clothes, shoes, handbags at second hand stores.

It's a different story all together if I am going shopping for a specific thing. I like just going and seeing what I can find, not "have to" shopping.

[Bertha Venation]

67. I loathe shopping of all kinds, even in book stores.

I do the grocery shopping because it's habit, and because it must be done. I do almost all of my clothes shopping online. --Actually, I can't remember the last time I bought an article of clothing in a store.

I'm with you, one voice. Can't STAND to shop. And I don't understand the materialistic urge. Sixty pairs of shoes? :shrug:

[madmom]

69. Are you my daughter? She is the very same way. I would always threaten to leave her

if she didn't leave the book store.

[one_voice]

77. LOL!

My mom is the loves bookstores as much as I do. And it doesn't have to be a "new" book store, I love used bookstores just as much.

I'm just as bad online, I'll look up a book which leads to another, which leads to another..and so on. I have folders of books and authors I want and I take it to the used book store and get them.

[madmom]

80. LOL I love to read as well, but sometimes you just have to do something else. When my

daughter was in jr high, we had to threaten to take her books away if she didn't do her home work! Now that is just wrong. She has a book with her no matter where she is, always has at least one book. Yep, you two must have been separated at birth. Just kidding reading is great. I told my kids if you want to learn how to do something, there's a book out there somewhere that will teach you!:headbang:

[one_voice]

81. What?!?!

Books are supposed to teach us something. Kidding. It's great that your daughter reads. I wish more kids did. Both my kids read, my daughter more than my son.

[owlsayswoot]

82. Threaten?

Bull, you have!

Huzzah to the bibliophiles!

[madmom]

84. OH go read a book!!!!!

:hi: :hide:

[owlsayswoot]

86. I happen to be out of reading material.

At least, reading material that isn't falling apart from use. :3 Why else would I be coming home, but to visit my library (and get some decent food-green enchiladas pls! I'll even do the cooking!)?

[madmom]

87. OK, I've got that in writing, no backing out now! LOL

[seabeyond]

70. i dont like shopping. i dont like spending money. we have a culture that insists this is who we

are.

i find it interesting we have no trouble calling bullshit when society demands we accept our role they give us, yet males readily embrace the ones society give them, as a badge of honor, regardless how pathetic it makes them appear.

[Captain Hilts]

73. Popular culture has defined women by commercial standards. nt

[seabeyond]

74. take note the op states "gene" as if something inherit to female. both genders are

defined by commercial standard. seems like our gender more willing to shrug out of the cloak of expectation

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

71. I don't like shopping as a sport.

As in, where you go to the mall to just look at stuff and maybe buy something because you feel like it. I don't like malls very much, and I shop only when there's something in particular that I'm looking for. I go to the store that has that thing, I buy it, and I leave.

I make exceptions for the Apple Store at the Mall of America, bookstores, and garden centers. Otherwise, shopping is a drag.

[graywarrior]

72. Here

I HATE shopping.

[hippywife]

75. Hate, hate, hate shopping!

Unless it's for kitchen stuff and I can order it online. I used to be the same as you about bookstores but I tend to stay out of them now and use the library as I have no space for books in my tiny house.


:hi:

[one_voice]

78. I use the library too..

but this is where I think used books stores are great. You can take your books there when you're finished, and get store credit. So you tend not to "collect" books, and it's very inexpensive way of buying the books.

I only keep my favorites, one's that'll I read over and over, otherwise it's a fun trip to the used book store. I get so much for very little.

:hi:

[MrsBrady]

76. I only shop when I need something.

And even if I had lots of money to throw around, I don't think I would waste my time shopping.

I wouldn't need any more than I do now, no matter how much money I had.

[treestar]

79. No. I hate shopping.

Especially for clothes.

I only have as many shoes as I need and replace them only when they've worn out!

[lunatica]

83. The last time I went shopping for clothes was in 2002

Although I will break down and shop for shoes when the ones I simply break down.

[Old Troop]

85. I have one daughter who shops like a guy

decides what she needs, dashes in, buys it and dashes out of the store or mall. The other daughter can spend an entire day in a mall without buying anything. Go figure.

[Scout]

89. i don't have it either ... except for books ... maybe at the craft store n/t

[dugaresa]

90. for years i thought it skipped me but it was due to my experiences shopping

i hate buying clothes or shoes because they typically don't fit and it is a frustrating experience.

i am not exactly a weird size either. the problem i have is that i have an "hour glass" figure and it makes some fashion just not work very well.

Shoes, i wear in a very typical size so unless i pay full price and buy them when they first come out, i am screwed so that is frustrating.

My little daughter who loves shopping has changed this for me. I have learned to be patient in the clothing stores and things are better.