Guys , do you enjoy going shopping with your girlfriend/wife/significant other.

[Craorach]

If I don't enjoy it, I don't go, it is as simple as that. My wife, fortunately, isn't the moronic waste of space many women are who feel they need to buy new clothes every few days when in fact they have a wardrobe of perfectly serviceable clothing at home.

If your partner insists on dragging you to t he shops when she wants to buy more clothing than she actually needs... a refuse to pay a cent for it.. and b tell her "I'll be at the other shop over here, looking at something I'm interested in."

 

[-Samurai-]

My best friend(and ex-girlfriend) takes me shopping with her all the time. She takes me because I can give her an honest opinion and because unlike most guys, I understand that there isn't a giant man-eating dragon in the stores or in the lingerie section.

Because nothing says manly like being too insecure to be seen inside Victorias Secret.

So, no, I don't mind at all.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Well i'm not assuming anything , my question is for those who DO have significant others , im not asking if you like shopping,i'm asking if you like shopping WITH your significant other . It's a non-negotiable question , and it's also soley for the men hence the "guys" in the title.

That's exactly the problem. As far as I'm concerned, these are not appropriate questions for these forums. They have little discussion value, and would be better served as a question/complaint to your male friends in meatspace.

The dozens of people discussing it would beg to differ with you. It's posted in off-topic, and it's pretty harmless. There are plenty of off-topic threads started on a daily basis about what people are doing in high school, and instead of yelling at them all to get off my lawn because high school hadn't even been invented yet back when I was their age, I just ignore them. It's super-effective!

Spoiler: Or, as a wise man once said...

Back on topic, I wouldn't go so far as to say that I actively enjoy it, but I don't really mind, either. I don't end up going along very often, which helps, and she puts up with my crap when I have to go buy clothes, which probably makes up for it, considering how hard it is to find pants that fit right. If I can waste an entire afternoon finding a single pair of pants, I can survive going through a couple stores with her. Heh.

 

[Mistermixmaster]

I've been shopping with two of my female friends a couple of times, and I find every single time to be rather fun. (Yeah, I know the title says "significant other", but I don't have one, deal with it).

One time was because a female friend of mine needed a costume for a convention, so I helped her pick out a maid outfit and matching shoes.
[sub]Why? Because she claimed that I know a lot about maid outfits... Don't look at me like that >_>[/sub]

I also regularly go shopping with my best female friend when the opportunity strikes (we rarely get to hang out in person otherwise, due to distance and studies). We grab some coffee, she looks for and tries on clothes and I give back an honest opinion. Then, when she's done, we usually check the game-stores on the way out if there is a new game I'm looking for, before bailing out of the shopping mall.

 

[babinro]

Many years ago when I actually had a girlfriend/significant other we did go out clothes shopping a couple of times and I'd describe the experiences as tolerable. The experience my Ex at the time was actually tolerable because it was an excuse to hang out, make sarcastic remarks at the world around us and just enjoy each others company.

The reality is I hate shopping, I'll get a list or research everything I need so I can run the errand and get back home in record time. So I guess if I had to shop, I'd rather do so with a lady.

 

[AngloDoom]

I enjoy going shopping with my girlfriend if it's something nerdy that I can enjoy, or it's a shop that includes the both of us.

I do enjoy looking over at all the glum faces on the man-chairs outside of changing rooms, though.

 

[RadioKnight]

Big difference between men and women: women shop, men buy. When I go into a store I have a pretty clear idea what I want and generally get it, pay and leave. My wife, she has to look at EVERYthing, looking through racks of clothes that shed never wear, or every shelf in the toy store looking at things shed never buy for our kids.

But I sometimes enjoy going to the clothing stores with her, I can give her some manly input on what I would enjoy seeing her wearing.

 

[SangRahl]

Four years, or more, ago... HELL, YES... I loved going shopping with her.
1) It meant I got to help her pick out her clothing. And it was FUN to help with this.
B) It meant I'd have a few more ticks on the scale of "What she's bought for her" vs. "What I've bought for me". (Helloooo, game fund.) If I wasn't there, then the final tally would certainly have been a good bit lower...
iii) Did I mention helping her pick out what she wears? This goes for what she's wearing out... and what she's NOT.

This, of course led to where we are today... and going out shopping with her means I'm the one in charge of watching the pair of spawn, so they don't collapse the store around us.

My advice: Either seek an alternate entertainment (see if she's amenable to your going to another shop... Borders/B&N is great to hang in, if one's available), or use your time together to actually spend time together. It might be a bit odd to be the only boyfriend/husband actively helping in the store, but it certainly has its advantages. And, the faster she's done, then the faster you're on your way. (Also, if you're there in sight the whole time, it's more of a reminder of your "tagging along" than being one of the half dozen guys that are out in the mall proper. Out of sight; out of mind, and all...

*Edit/Addendum*
Oh, and that "no mans land" called the lingerie department really isn't detrimental to male DNA. If anything, it's the best part of all (see item #iii, above)... Think of it as "The Gift Wrapping Aisle", or "Play Aisle", or something. ("Toy Aisle" would be appropriate, but likely not as literal at a mall-store setting... *ahem* But, I digress.

Honestly, the "man chairs" tend to be the most comfortable there, and hardly ever used. Sure, you might get the VERY RARE odd look from an older customer, but it's more than worth it when you hear the words, "Hon, does this fit right?" come wafting out of the changing room. (preferably in your significant other's voice...)

 

[Zeekar]

I feel no shame joining the 1 or 2 men here that actually feel this way, but yes.

It may have to do that I'm an artist who specializes in character design, but I hugely enjoy dressing up my girl like she was some kind of doll (Not literally, she dresses normally). Ok, maybe a less creepy, more apt analogy would be "customizing" her like a game character?

Nah, still creepy. Oh well.

Don't think that I'm just forcing her to buy certain things either -- we have the same tastes in clothing. It's a great bonding experience and I can't help but enjoy the comedic irony in the one getting carried away being myself.

 

[historybuff]

I don't like shopping myself, so my sister doesn't like shopping with me. She and my brother go out shopping together and will spend lots of time trying on everything.

Honestly, though, with your boyfriends or girlfriends, if you're gonna take them along, you should make it fun. If your girlfriend can't have fun while shopping with you, then you're just getting lugged around.

Try and make an effort to have fun with her. Put on an accent, pretend to be her foreign friend who is (inappropriately) interested in everything. There are lots of things you could do--instead of agreeing to go and then complaining about it.

 

[Gudrests]

Is there anyway to make this enjoyable?

Have her shop at Victoria Secret?

AND WE HAVE OUR WINNER!!!!

Make it a game dude...crack some jokes.....like make comments about fat women around her. Tell her she is pretty....and THEN tell her to shop at victoria secret....and then tell her you think she put it on wrong and you need to help her with that

When I had a GF....doing anything was fun...Just gotta know how to make it fun.

 

[Last Hugh Alive]

I get bored shopping with women, even in stores I like. Then when they inevitably drag me into one of "their" stores I toy with the prospect of killing myself. I do enjoy shopping, though. I just prefer to be alone or with a male friend or two.

Here's the difference between shopping with female and male friends, from my experience: If a girl doesn't like something I've picked, she'll tell me so and then say something like "I like this one better" or "This one would look better on you". Whereas a guy will either just nod and let me buy something he doesn't really like, or tell me what he honestly thinks yet never dictate to me what I should buy.

In short, I have more freedom if I'm shopping with a guy. But with girls, I don't feel like I'm the one doing the shopping.

 

[Nieroshai]

I go all the time. It helps that we have similar interests aside from obvious things like jewelery, but overall it's fun. Clarification: I'm not metro. She's a tomboy.

 

[Zarkov]

Well i'm not assuming anything , my question is for those who DO have significant others , im not asking if you like shopping,i'm asking if you like shopping WITH your significant other . It's a non-negotiable question , and it's also soley for the men hence the "guys" in the title.

That's exactly the problem. As far as I'm concerned, these are not appropriate questions for these forums. They have little discussion value, and would be better served as a question/complaint to your male friends in meatspace.

Ugh. We don't need to address EVERYONE from all CORNERS OF LIFE when posting a thread. The thread happens ask something more specific, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's not sexist and it's not inconsiderate. It's simply asking about a common trend or a common idea; he wants to know if males like to shop with significantly close females. He's not asking whether person A likes to shop with person B; hell, that'd hardly be a question. If you wanted to show him that the trend he is describing above isn't true, describe your experience with that other person and relate it to the subject. But a valid post would not be to complain about how he didn't write the thread as applying to every single person.

Just because a lot of the Escapist community aren't heterosexual male doesn't mean he has to address his question to everyone. That is childish and stupid in and of its own.

OT: I went with my ex, and well, it wasn't really enjoyable. I mean, I didn't hate it, but then again it wasn't like we were bonding.

 

[Stefini Weisel]

My fiance hates going shopping, no matter the purpose or company. He says that shopping without a specific purpose means he's likely to see things he wants, and either he gives in and buys something he didn't need, or he resists and feels that he might have enjoyed whatever it was.

But, he has told me that he doesn't mind as much if he is with me, as we can at least have a nice conversation while shopping.