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In this issue of ProfiTips:
 

Men & Shopping: UK research shows that, for over 70% of men, even the thought of going shopping is enough to send their stress levels soaring before even stepping out of their front door.
 

Men's Rules
Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are not quests to see if we can find the perfect present yet again!

Solving the People Puzzle Book:
Solving the People Puzzle Book $29.95. Order here.


"That problem has been going on since men and women and their children moved from the plains and into caves. How many times have you heard Howard Cunningham talking to Marian about shopping? Too many."
Henry Winkler


Buy It Now! Solving the People Puzzle Book $29.95.
Order here.


Hi ,

Enjoy this week's article. Who do you know who could benefit from this information? Please pass it on.

Best regards
Murray Browne
coaching4growth@ymail.com

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"The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her."
Marcelene Cox

Men & Shopping

You've probably seen a version of "Men's Rules" that states (to women) that "Shopping is not a sport!" when, plainly for many women, it is!

Well, a piece of recent UK research shows that, for over 70% of men, even the thought of going shopping is enough to send their stress levels soaring before even stepping out of their front door.

The challenge of facing the shopping hoards, long queues and frazzled shop assistants while attempting to choose the right gift for loved ones creates peak stress levels equivalent to emergency situations experienced by fighter pilots or policemen going into difficult situations.

US research for American Express confirmed women are much more involved in gift giving than men, giving gifts to an average of 12.5 people, versus 8 for men. Women shop earlier for gifts than men; devote more time to selecting gifts, and are more successful in finding a desirable gift (60% more gifts selected by men are returned than those selected by women).
Male shoppers usually less comfortable and confident about trends, sizes, colours, fragrances, and many are embarrassed asking questions in "female" shops.

Blokes tend to be single-minded and focused on getting a present for one person even when the have two or three others to buy for, and many wives and girlfriends report being fed up with buying gifts for his parents or his children.

Men don't wrap. Women do.

If you are in retail there is profit in answering these questions:

  1. What can we do to make it really easy for our male shoppers to buy from us?

  2. What process do we put in place to check to see that he is buying everything he could for everyone he should - from us?

  3. What help can we provide in selecting gifts for the females in his life?

  4. If we made "this goes with that" type recommendations, would that help him?

  5. Could we provide a checklist to our male shoppers on which they could note her sizes for shoes, skirts, dresses, tops, underwear?

  6. If it's true that men only think in 7 colours would a colour-swatch match list help them choose from among our products?

Men's Rules

Men always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!

  • Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.
    We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us bitching about you leaving it down.

  • Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are not quests to see if we can find the perfect present yet again!

  • Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

  • Don't cut your hair. Ever. Long hair is always more attractive than short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that married women always cut their hair, and by then you're stuck with her.

  • Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

  • Crying is blackmail.

  • Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints don't do it!

  • We don't remember dates. Mark birthdays and anniversaries on a calendar. Remind us frequently beforehand.

  • Most guys own three pairs of shoes - tops. What makes you think we'd be any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?

  • Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

  • Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

  • A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

  • Check your oil! Please.

  • Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

  • If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us. We refuse to answer.

  • If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

  • Let us ogle. We are going to look anyway; it's genetic.

  • You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

  • Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

  • Christopher Columbus did not need directions, and neither do we.

  • The relationship is never going to be like it was the first two months we were going out. Get over it and quit whining to your girlfriends.

  • ALL men see in only 16 colours, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

  • If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

  • We are not mind readers and we never will be. Our lack of mind-reading ability is not proof of how little we care about you.

  • If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

  • If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

  • When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really.

  • Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as navel lint, the offside rule, investments or cars.

  • You have enough clothes.

  • You have too many shoes.

  • Foreign films are best left to foreigners. (Unless it's Bruce Lee or some war flick where it doesn't really matter what the hell they're saying anyway.)

  • It is neither in your best interest or ours to take the quiz together. No, it doesn't matter which quiz.

  • BEER is as exciting for us as handbags are for you.

  • I'm in shape. ROUND is a shape.

Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know we really don't mind that, it's like camping.
 

Solving the People Puzzle Book

  • How a clear business objective can help your team handle new and challenging situations perfectly.

  • How to set goals and achieve them in the workplace.

  • How to attract the right people to your business instead of searching for them.

  • How to inspire positive change in the workplace from the top down.

  • How to recognize the people you can motivate and those you cannot.

Buy It Now! Solving the People Puzzle Book $29.95. Order here.