Compulsive Shopping Isn’t Just for Girls: For some guys, the go-to reward after a hard day isn’t whiskey—it’s Gucci....A couple of decades ago, the stereotypical man of the house unwound from a hard day by watching a game with a glass of something on ice. His wife? She went shopping. But whether it’s because ads for moisturizer now target men or because stores have started serving them snifters of brandy while they get fitted for shirts, guys are rewarding themselves in a way they never used to: by taking out their credit cards.
A recent study of men’s buying habits done by WSL Strategic Retail found that guys in their twenties and early thirties visit a greater variety of stores than older men do. “They tend to shop more like women,” says Wendy Liebmann, WSL’s founder and president.
...David Lewis, head of neuroscience for Mind Lab International in England, calls the male desire to pamper oneself with purchased goods “a kind of consumer masturbation.” For a study in 2006, Dr. Lewis took 20 guys, ages 18 to 25, to a high-end lingerie shop and then to a sporting-goods store. When he asked them which experience they liked better, he says, “a number of men said, ‘That sex shop was really exciting.’ In fact, their brain activity was much greater when they were looking at sneakers.”...
Frankly, I can't blame men for engaging in "emotional-shopping" or "retail therapy" when I have been know to do it myself. ;) I often look forward to trips at my local J.Crew so I can relax. It may sound silly, but J.Crew can be a bit of an oasis for me.
What do you think of the article? Disagree or agree with any points made? Do you find J.Crew retail stores as an oasis as well? Have you engaged in J.Crew retail therapy?
I used to find the stores (and even more so,.com) an oasis, but now I find them more of a source of angst - I think this is due to a combination of the increasingly higher prices (knowing that a lot of them will eventually be slashed) and the neverending final sale. I'm not much of a returner to begin with, and I have definitely purchased FS items that once I've received them/gotten them home, found they really had no place in my closet. So then I'm stuck with lost $$ and unwearable items. And with the prices - now that they're marking down August merch in August it really makes me reconsider purchasing anything at full price (even with a 15% discount or 20% coupon). However, I feel like I have to nab some items to try them out before they go into the final sale and I could possibly get "stuck" with them - especially now that it seems like a lot of the fits are off on items (tops especially). I used to find shopping to be a relaxing stress-reducer, but this summer it seemed to cause more stress than it alleviated. So glad for this blog, though - all the sharing has given me a much better idea of an item's quality/fit/etc so I don't feel that I'm shopping "in the dark" so much.
ReplyDeleteOy... time for coffee!
silverlining, yes, I agree with EVERYTHING you stated. I USED to enjoy shopping at JCrew and it WAS so much fun. Now, I just wonder--will I get my items, will they be defective, will I be able to use the 15% off with my educators's discount or not??? Also, I am wondering about the sizing issue as well...
ReplyDeleteMy answer regarding the men and shopping is the same now as I have said in earlier posts...perhaps in Metropolitan cities it is more prevalent, but for suburbia I think it's not commonplace at all.
ReplyDeleteAs for retail therapy...I am often guilty of participating, however...I completely agree with silver_lining that the Final Sale, discount inconsistency, and lack of free shipping has made shopping with J.Crew more stressful than anything. Final Sale makes me feel pressured instead of feeling relaxed and I am not able to enjoy the shopping experience at all.
Hi Everyone! I agree that shopping online is not as fun as it was before the upgrade (especially without the nice sale layout, knowing the site update time, etc.). Yet, I still find time in the stores to be fun. I just like walking around and looking at the merchandise. It has a calming affect on me. :)
ReplyDeleteAlexis, I'm with you 100%. Trouble is I can't get to the store so I shop on-line.
ReplyDeleteShopping on-line is a double edged sword. So easy, and part of the spending problem is how easy it is, and yet in someways not really what I want. I miss being in the store seeing the items, touching them and seeing the store displays. Even seeing the shoppers and having the SA offer ideas and suggestions. And best of all, taking it home with me that day.
Express shipping comes close, but isn't quite the same.
JCrew Guy In Canada: I totally hear you about shopping online. :) When I see items online for $100+, I don't think they are that expensive. But when I see items in stores for $100+, I start thinking twice. Online can give me a false sense of spending- because I am not really seeing any items being exchanged for physical money.
ReplyDeleteSusie Ormond use to tell women to buy in cash instead of credit because it would make women stop spending as much if they actually saw what they were paying. (I totally understand her rationale behind that reasoning too!)
But back to shopping in stores, I agree that it is nice to touch the clothes and try them on in person. I can easily spend an hour or two at J.Crew just looking around. :) The stores are just so nicely laid out. It's hard not to like being in there.
silver_lining: I agree with what you said, especially the last part. This blog has been great on helping me gauge an item!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like walking through my store and, like Alexis, can easily spend an hour or more in there (even if I'd recently been there for an hour or more already!). I won't always buy something but I feel relaxed afterwards.
The sales staff is usually great and I like them but there is one that kind of stresses me out and I try to avoid. She's a little pushy, comes off as judgmental if you don't buy anything and constantly repeats her name, as if to remind you for when you go up to the checkout counter when you're asked if anyone helped you today. :( Other than that, everyone else is so super at that store and wonderfully awesome.
I read the article and it turned out to be really interesting. In the article, the author shared a link to another article, and it turned out to be a fascinating read for a Sunday afternoon. While the article itself is interesting and attention grabbing, it does not directly mention spa visits. However, I agree that a visit to a spa can be a good gift option. In our modern lives, when we are all so busy and often stressed, a spa visit can be a great way to pamper and relax. A visit to this spa offers the opportunity to enjoy treatments that will help relieve tension and restore balance to our body and soul.
ReplyDelete