Features
Imprint, Friday, April 3, 2009
19
Definition of a shopaholic
Tina
e
ston
iron
Phoung Tram reporter
“W
hen women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It’s a whole different way of thinking” said Elayne Boosler, American comedian and activist. I, as a woman and as a shopper, can relate to this quote. I don’t know how men invade another country but I sure know that a tasteful meal and a new outfit would heal how I feel. The sad part is that it’s only temporary and then I’d need it again and again. I often find myself buried in guilt counting receipts and snatching away the tags with different markdowns. Yes, I do feel good that they were on sale but sad that I’ve spent more than I had intended. My paycheque usually enters the front door and quickly flies out the back door, straight to the mall. It shocks me over and over again how fast spending can be. Regardless of its downside, I still think shopping is one of the greatest joys that women take advantage of. Unfortunately men are missing out on the experience. To men, shopping is like a mission and they tend to make it as quick as possible and leave. For women however, it’s more like a tour for good sales, bargains and samples. According to marketing professor Stephen J. Hoch at Wharton research, “Women think of shopping in an interpersonal, human fashion and men treat it as more instrumental. It’s a job to get done.” The results indicate that women are more likely to experience shopping problems than men. For women, “lack of help” is the main issue and this can result about six per cent losses in business of women shoppers. For men however, finding a close parking to the store’s entrance was the major problem. Also, business is most likely to be lost from men if the product they came for is not available; about five percent of male shoppers could be lost for this reason. Also males and female shoppers have different interactions with sales associates. For men, it is important that an associate help them find the item they’re looking for and the effort of getting them through the line as fast as possible. For women, store loyalty is based on the sale associate’s product knowledge and to determine which item or style is best for them. Women shoppers also value sales
associates that make them feel important. Paula Courtney, president of the Verde Group, points out that, “Women are more apt to be angered by a lack of engagement behavior from the sales associates. For men, while engagement is still important, it’s not as important as finding product and getting in and out quickly.” The founder of WomenCertified, a marketing research company, Delia Passi says retailers have been aware of the differences between two genders as shoppers. “It goes back to gatherers versus hunters. Women are gatherers. Men are hunters. Women walk into a store and scan. Men look for a specific aisle.” From a scientific research, she notes, shows women have better peripheral vision than men, which would benefit them as gatherers. Passi adds “When it comes to the retail experience, men and women both go into the store to buy something, only she wants more. She wants more interaction. She wants more eye contact. He wants quick answers while she’s looking for support and collaboration in the buying process.” Passi acknowledged that many of the observations revealed in the survey still reflect generalities and that many women and men do not fit into the broader patterns. This does not necessarily play into sexist stereotypes of women as more emotional and weaker. According to a survey, trillions of dollars are made annually through shopping purchases from women, this accounts for 85 per cent of all consumer expenditures. This means, “Women shop more. As in developed markets women spend about 2.5 per cent more than men a year.” Said Heinz Krogner chairman and CEO, Espirit Global. A psychological science study suggests that sadness leads to shopping and ego-centrist thinking. In other words, a sad person tends to turn into a shopaholic by willing to spend extra money on the same item. “It is the combination of sadness and self-focus that drives the effect, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus,” said Cynthia Cryder, co-author to the compulsive shopping disorders study, “What we think is going on is that sad and self-focused people are feeling pretty bad about themselves and have a decreased value, and one way to do this is by acquiring material goods.” On the same note, if this is true, does that mean women are unhappier than men because they shop more? Shopping is a hobby for some, and therapy for others, but it can become an addiction for many. Rebecca Bloomwood in the movie Confession of A Shopaholic is a perfect example of this. In Confessions of a Shopaholic, the Plucky, Becky Bloomwood, overly enjoys shopping and runs up massive credit card debit. She begins receiving letter from Endwich bank claiming she owes them large amounts of money. She writes back to the Endwich Bank trying to delay her payments by offering other suggestion, which are sometimes comical and result in confused and matter of fact no responses. Becky tries to be frugal and cut back but in doing so, she actually spends more money by buying ‘frugal things’ she thinks will help her save money. What doesn’t help her cause is when she feels the need to be consoled she finds consolation in buying herself something. More frustration added when she lost her job but unintentionally landed another after a drunken letter-mailing mix-up. She lands a new job as a financial analyst and ironically her writing is about consumer caution, which she has yet to abide.
Her unconventional metaphors for economics, grants her critical acclaim, public success, and the admiration of her supportive boss Luke. However, her shopping addiction puts her happiness on the edge and threatens all she’s worked towards. This spiral causes Becky to try and overcome her “shopaholic” condition without depending on shopping for happiness. Becky is the perfect definition of a shopaholic, she is a compulsive spender, and always buying whatever she wants or thinks she needs. Christian Wheeler a researcher at Stanford University, says there’s “very strong differences between men and women and their shopping behaviors.” A perfect example of this is in Confessions of a Shopaholic book, when Becky meets Luke Brandon, a hunky Public Relations professional in a department store. Brandon is looking for luggage and is about to buy any random one that does the purpose; whereas Becky spends hours showing him the different types of luggage. Brandon was only in the store to get a luggage and leave, whereas Becky browsed and found a scarf that caught her eye before moving onto luggage shopping. Wheeler found that 75 per cent of women browsed until they had seen most of the things in the store compared to only 33 per cent of men. It also showed that they like to shop looking for potential sales and that women are more likely to spend even if they don’t have a need for the item. Men are completely different because they go shopping with a purpose in mind. They do not go to the mall for fun or entertainment as their female counter parts do. Scientists have confirmed what many of us already know and have experienced first hand. Most men buy then leave, while most women browse and shop. Men in general should understand this fact and wait patiently if they shop with a woman. Women should keep track of their spending and try not to get carried away. Also consider whom you are shopping with because this can impact how much you buy depending on that person’s eagerness and financial accessibility. Keeping these points in mind should lead to a better experience for all involved.
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