If we have a choice of companionship when it’s time to go shopping, we often choose friends with a like-minded attitude if we’re not with family. Women are encouraged to shop together for good reason – they’re unstoppable. Women take pride in carefully selecting goods and comparing. It can be a social occasion and emotional support to ensure just the right choices are made. Just like men are historically the “providers”, women are anthropologically the “nurturers and nesters”.
Never shop with a like-minded friend if you’re trying to save money.
- Good Friends: If you’re with someone completely compatible, you’ll shop longer. People who shop longer purchase more. According to Paco Underhill, retail anthropologist, in a national house wares chain study women shopping with another female companion spent over 8 minutes in the store.
- Opposites Attract: Like-minded friends won’t hold you to the task. You need someone who thinks about shopping and money differently from you. If you’re a spendthrift – find a tight budgeter. If you’re not creative about mixing and matching, find someone who can efficiently do it for you so you can move on.
- Men Are The Best: If you really want to be fast and decisive, and don’t mind a bit of stress, shop with a man. In the same national house wares study, the average time in the store when a woman shopped with a man was 4 minutes, 42 seconds. Men are fidgety and less patient. Shorter shopping time, less money spent.
Shopping used to be a necessity. Now it has become a national pastime in North America and stores spend millions to encourage people to spend more – through signs, sales, comfortable seating, loss leaders, etc. We have gently been lulled into accepting shopping as a national sport. To better manage our money, we need to realize this and watch our behaviors. Use shopping for what it is – a process for getting what you need; and surround yourself with people who will help you stay on track.
Carrie Rattle is the CEO and Founder at BehavioralCents. She is an executive veteran of the financial services industry and works with professional women on their mind and money behaviors to help them build an equal voice in the world. Thoughts always welcome: carrierattle@behavioralcents.com.
Carrie Rattle is a Principal at BehavioralCents.com, a website for women focused on mind and money behaviors. She has worked in the financial services industry for 20+ years and hopes to inspire women to better prepare themselves for financial independence.