I discovered that the late evening--right before the stores close--is the best time to go shopping. A few years ago, Steve and I did our holiday shopping between 9:00--11:00 PM at Dadeland Mall. It was great--no crowds, no crazy parking lots.
We just got back from The Falls about an hour ago, which was practically empty. It was so different from the massive and sometimes rude crowds at Dolphin Mall. In less than two hours, I bought gifts for three people, spent a good deal of that time leisurely browsing at my favorite stores, and got coffee at Starbucks. The best part was all of the stores I shopped at in The Falls can also be found at Dolphin Mall, so I know I didn't spend a penny more than I would have elsewhere. (The Falls has a reputation for being a pricier mall, but it all depends on where and how you shop!)
Steve didn't mind shopping with me too much today. I only 'aimlessly' browsed in two stores--Pottery Barn and Coach. (Two of my favorites! I was good and avoided Restoration Hardware). Steve, like most straight men, likes it better when you walk into a store with a pre-identified goal and go straight for it. No perusing allowed. But perusing is my favorite part! Especially at home decor stores--what a great way to get ideas! Oh, well. I guess that's what girlfriends are for.
My browsing also serves another purpose--to give him ideas too...gift ideas. =) One of the sales girls at Coach approached me and asked if I was looking for anyting in particular, looking for gifts for others, or if I was just giving him ideas. "You see, Steve?" I said. "Women know." LOL. I did the same thing a couple of months ago for my birthday. We went to the mall and I pointed out several things that I liked. That time, it was a sales man who remarked to Steve: "Man, I wish my girlfriend would do that! It would be so much easier!"
My favorite things to shop for are shoes, purses, and home decor. Things that are torturous to a straight man. I definitely inherited my love for the aforementioned three things from my mother. She has quite a shoe and purse collection, as does my mother-in-law. =) Steve hates shoe shopping above all other types of shopping. Every time I ask for his opinion on shoes, he reminds me of a commercial where a young woman asks her boyfriend which pair of black shoes he prefers. Each pair is different from the next. From his point of view, all three pairs look exactly the same. My husband could have starred in that commercial.
Oh, well...happy shopping, everyone!
LOL, LOL, lol, lol. This post was fantastic. Steve has learned so much from you while shopping which is wonderful. I also thought about shopping in the malls between 9 and 11 p.m, since this is when I drive past the mall near my office. Shopping while the malls are not crowed is so much fun; not to mention, saves time. We are glad to hear both of you had a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThen there's telling your children what you want, so they can tell your husband what to buy. This works pretty well. Especially if said children take said husband shopping and point out the object of the purchase he must make. While all this is going on, you can slip off and buy another pair of shoes or a new handbag....
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