She’ll shop till you drop – part 1

Have you ever swum with crocodiles? Have you ever lit a firework and held it in your hand? Are you partial to leaping from moving vehicles? No? Then you probably find shopping with your significant other quite a challenge.

The threat of the department store used to send me into a panic tantrum, but careful observation has given me skills to combat the agony of shopping.

First off, we men have to learn how to shop with our women. There will be a series of questions we have to field. Like any defensive move, it’s essential we can counter them with speed, agility and conviction. But there’s a golden rule, too:

Never ever respond to the question with an answer. 95% of the time our women are not asking for our opinion on a dress they’re considering. We know nothing of these things and our feedback will be met with, at very best, mirth.

Answer her question with another question. Remember, we are mere sounding boards. When she asks “Do you like it?”, she has already made up her mind. So if you say ‘yes’, she’ll condemn you for your lack of taste. If you say ‘no’, she’ll tell you she loves it.

No no no. You need to ask a question. Something like ‘What would you wear with it?’ or ‘Don’t you have something similar?’ or ‘When were you thinking of wearing it?’

This shows you’re interested in what she’s buying and it will help her make up her mind too. Everyone wins!

This is part one of a series to help both the shop-eur and shop-euse out of a potential store-based hissy fit. Check out the next installment at MrAndMrsRomance.com – part 2 right here. Want even more? Here’s part 3!

Mrs Romance – anything to add?

“Mr Romance is actually great to go shopping with. He’s probably a better shopper than me in many ways. I had no idea he was so considered with his questions and I think I’m going to find out a lot more from this series. I’ll be reading, and guys, you should be too. These are some top tips to keep your partner happy at the shops.”

What other questions would you ask or like to be asked to quell the shopping rigors?

Image by Mr Romance.