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Men at the sales

(118 Posts)
GrandmaKT Fri 28-Dec-18 16:48:06

Due to other commitments, I only had today to do a quick trawl of the sales.
Didn't find much, but did get so frustrated by middle-aged/elderly men trailing their partners around the ladies' clothes departments! They didn't seem to be enjoying themselves and, aside from getting in their wives' way were getting under everyone else's (my!) feet too.
My OH does exactly this, so we very rarely go shopping together, and never when I am clothes shopping. If you and your partner are culprits, is there any up-side and how can you stand it?!

Craftycat Sat 29-Dec-18 12:51:31

Never ever ever shop with DH!!

I doubt the marriage would survive!

janeainsworth Sat 29-Dec-18 12:53:10

I try to avoid shopping with MrA and I don’t usually bother with the sales.
But this morning we found ourselves in the Rohan shop in Newcastle where I went to try on some trousers and a dress I’d had my eye on and which were reduced.
I bought them both, accompanied by lots of sighing and eye-rolling and ‘do you really need those?’
It will be a while before we shop together again.
Oh and I carried my solitary bag back to the car myselfwink

Anja Sat 29-Dec-18 13:10:00

Nothing patronising at all. Just a humorous dig ?

paddyann Sat 29-Dec-18 13:15:33

My OH loves shopping he's always dragging things off the rails and telling me I'd look "great in this" .He is very fashion conscious and always well dressed himself .Sadly he still sees me as the 20 year old he married .....instead of a 64 year old gran of 4.So some of his suggestions are a bit off the wall.He certainly never trails behind me or looks bored and I imagine he cant be the ONLY man in the world who does like shopping so please dont generalise .

annep Sat 29-Dec-18 13:45:37

Some women do want their partners with them and most men just don't want to be there. Unfair to inflict it on them. Tbh I hate sales. I tried yesterday and after buying 3 items was about to get a bargain ( something priced lower than it should have been) and said don't worry about it as I just couldn't wait for them to cancel and redo. I sat outside recovering and a man with lots of parcels sat down beside and said they'd almost made it back to the car but his wife had spied another sale. How does ANYONE think sales are fun? I'd rather do without or pay full price. Never again. Noisy crowded shops playing rap or any other modern music is not my idea of fun. No thank you.

mrswoo Sat 29-Dec-18 13:46:31

I’m married to a man who loves to shop too, Paddyann! I, on the other hand really don’t enjoy it especially clothes shopping. I’m 5 foot nothing, in need of loosing some weight and in my late 60’s. My OH, bless him, still sees me as a bright young thing and fails to understand my reluctance to try on the clothes he thinks would suit me. There have been times when I’ve actually bought something that I haven’t really liked just to get out of a shop. He has never sought my advice as to what he should wear and is at his happiest shopping for clothes for himself. To be honest he has very good taste when it comes to his own clothes.

Grandad1943 Sat 29-Dec-18 13:51:13

Carol my wife and I usually go shopping together. If we are going on a weekend for clothes etc, we generally split up at the shopping centre and set a time and place to meet up, say, in an hour or so.

I love Technology shops such as Currys or phone outlets, so a quick go round in Asda/George where I always find the clothes in like and then down to Currys, lovely.

The above always speeds Carol up with her clothes shopping as being aware that I will be in Currys or similar shop she quickly gets going afraid she will catch up with me just as I am coming out of the technology shop with a £6000 television or suchlike. wink

That's the way to do it. grin

Rufus2 Sat 29-Dec-18 13:59:23

Am I the only person who had to google "misandry"?
Probably "Yes" There's a lot of it about and it's highly contagious! tchgrinThe antidote is called "mysogynist". A recent Aussie female PM was fond of spraying that around! "Patroniser" is also common GNspeak!

lemongrove Sat 29-Dec-18 13:59:25

The way to do it....is to leave the husband at home ( after setting him a few household chores to complete) or pottering in the garden, while you go out clothes shopping by yourself or with a DD or a friend.
In Sainsburys/ Waitrose/Tesco etc if he really must insist on accomanying you, park him in the cafe with a newspaper and coffee until you are done.Result, harmony all round.

Grandad1943 Sat 29-Dec-18 14:12:38

lemongrove, I very often go to the Supermarket with my wife as we both work in the business and therefore try to coordinate our going home together.

On the way home, we normally go in the Supermarket where I am always being accused of putting things in the trolley or basket that we do not need.

The above usually comes with the comment " when do you think we are going to eat that". wink

grandtanteJE65 Sat 29-Dec-18 14:17:34

Dear gentlemen, I don't think you were patronising, Grumppa, and Granddad, it sometimes seems to me too, that whatever any man says on some of these threads is automatically wrong.

However, lots of other ladies are, like me, only too happy to hear a man's opinion.

sodapop Sat 29-Dec-18 14:40:01

I am happy to hear anyone's opinion grandtante but reserve the right to comment on it.

Nanny41 Sat 29-Dec-18 14:40:18

Grumpa, I love your post too.
Personally I like to shop on my own, if we do go together we split up and meet now and then, maybe for advice on something or for a cup of tea, or a G and T.
In a huge supermarket DH goes off with the trolley too and with my arms full, I have to fish my phone out and ring to ask where he is, it never fails, however I now take a little basket and fill the trolley from that.
Grumpa I hope you know we all love you.

cupcake1 Sat 29-Dec-18 14:47:17

One year I was was clothes shopping with DH and whilst he sat on a chair in the shop I went into a changing room to try on a few items. I decided not to buy anything and promptly strolled out of the shop forgetting he was sat waiting for me. Not long after the staff were asking him to leave as they were closing and he said 'my wife is still in the changing room' they assured him I wasn't and he left a little red-faced. So, as you can imagine he does not come clothes shopping with me anymore - says I'm to distracted blush grin

luluaugust Sat 29-Dec-18 15:07:12

We shop a lot together now and split the driving but for clothes shopping I go on my own, I like to browse, he has a shopping list and wants to get on with it, we do need a tea or coffee whatever happens. Everyday bits and pieces are done by whoever fancies a walk.

SpringyChicken Sat 29-Dec-18 15:10:01

Perhaps the men are at the sales to ensure their wives don't spend too much.

trendygran Sat 29-Dec-18 16:07:28

When in a well known clothes/ food store yesterday I couldn’t help noticing quite a few very bored looking men just standing ,or sitting when possible,waiting for their wives/ partners to finish browsing around the clothes sale. Why don’t they just stay at home ,or somewhere so they can avoid the boredom and their other halves can shop without having to bother about them.
My late husband rarely went shopping with me and I can’t say that I would have wanted him to -apart from maybe a second opinion on some item I was thinking of buying.

Daisyboots Sat 29-Dec-18 16:32:04

I don't like sales or markets because I hate crowds. DH and I usually do the supermarket shop together but he has as much input as me as to what goes in the trolley. In fact I tend to say I need the trolley to help me get around or else he is charging off somewhere with it and I am looking for him with an armful of shopping. When it comes to clothes shopping he goes his way and I go mine. He is usually finished sooner than me and so gives the nod about which of the tops I have picked out suit me. He is usually right. As I am having difficulty walking at the moment he is having to do the food shopping on his own at the moment. When he got back in the car he said he hated shopping. Never heard that from him before. So I replied that as soon as I could I would go shopping on my own. He didn't fancy that idea either although I would love a mooch round the supermarket on my own.

Mapleleaf Sat 29-Dec-18 16:33:03

My goodness, there are one or two sensitive souls on this thread, male and fenale. Lighten up. Some people see things that really aren't there.
I liked your post Grumpa. ?

mabon1 Sat 29-Dec-18 16:47:02

MOnica Agree with every word you wrote, good for you.

GreenGran78 Sat 29-Dec-18 17:10:18

Some couples just seem to automatically do everything together. While it's nice to see them so fond of each other, I don't think that it's a good, or healthy, idea. A couple who live near me seem to be almost joined at the hip. You never see one without the other, and neither seems to have any hobbies or outside interests. I can't help wondering how the surviving partner will cope, when the inevitable parting comes.

phoenix Sat 29-Dec-18 17:26:19

Grandad1943, not sure if you are one for New Year's resolutions, but why not have a go at attempting 50 posts without using the word "misandry" (I know, it's so hard not to use a "new" word, isn't it, just look at all those people on the radio and television who seem to have recently learnt "binary")

Or, if that is too much, you could consider just making pleasant posts, or of course just buggering off?

Magsymoo Sat 29-Dec-18 17:37:59

Is it just me or have so many posts on GN now degenerated into slanging matches? What is wrong with some of you people? Clearly the season of goodwill is over! Some posters 'talk' in a way they would never dream of doing face to face. Bring back some civility, I say.

phoenix Sat 29-Dec-18 17:49:14

I do try, Magsymoo in fact if you look at other threads I'm sometimes "accused" of being quite nice! But I do get a bit miffed when GN members are insulted,
patronised or taken advantage of.

Elegran Sat 29-Dec-18 17:52:28

Magsymoo There was a run of good humour and interesting conversations but it deteriorated even before the season of goodwill started. A series of fake posts was followed by a spate of people unmasking other dodgy threads and suspecting even more. These moods swing from one extreme to the other, so once this has run its course it will probably all be fine until the next batch. Hibernating for a while could be a good move.