Male Vs. Female Shopping

How I shop.

I walked into Door County Cycle this weekend and collected a new pair of Keen sandals, a sweater on sale for 50% off, and a new Thule bike rack for our vehicle. I knew what I wanted, and no damn salesman was going to "educate" me about various bike racks.

Total elapsed time: 5 minutes 26 seconds (including checkout).
Percent Satisfaction: 100%
Second Thoughts: NONE
Guilt factor: ZERO
Spousal approval factor: 100%

How my wife shops:

On the first of three trips to the same bike shop, I told my wife to buy the bike she was looking at because we would just be back to get that one anyway. I knew she liked it. I knew she wanted THAT bike, but she wanted to shop around a bit and do some research. We bought that same bike on the third trip back...I must be fricken Nostradamus.

On the first trip to the bike shop my wife told the salesperson she was looking for a bike that would suit her needs of casual trail riding. After being shown several very capable bikes, Jodi asks if there might be something a little more money. "I am interested in something that could be raced, you know...if I ever wanted to". I saw the salesman wipe a little drool from his chin. "Raced?" I thought. "She has never raced bikes". "She does not even know anyone who races mountain bikes". "Hell, she would not even have time to practice let alone race". WTF is she thinking, is what I am thinking at this point. With a gleam in his eye, and sensing the fulfillment of next months mortgage, the salesperson steered us to the "upgraded component" bikes. These are your $1000+ skull crackers, not the mom and pop roadsters that sell for a measly $600. She got the sales pitch for the big money wheelers, and she was convinced. Once the coolness factor of the high quality, race enabled, tough SOB bike was thoroughly ingrained...there was no turning back. All future comparisons were to be with like models, and my fate was sealed. In her mind, she was burning down the hill neck and neck with another racer; her equipment was going to be the deciding factor. At this point. I recused myself from the process in the interest of marital harmony, and let my now Olympic bike racing wife live her unquestionably never-going-to-happen statement to fruition. We were back again later that month to purchase the bike after evaluating 8 similarly equipped bikes of various manufacture.


Total elapsed time: 56 days, 7 hours, 18 minutes (including checkout).
Percent Satisfaction: 98%
Second Thoughts: YES
Guilt factor: 10%
Spousal approval factor:60%

I did, however, point out the rationale that I would now be using on MY next big ticket purchase.

Me: "Excuse me sir, I am looking for a car. One that will provide reliable transportation to work and for errands, and oh by the way, it should be able to make a credible showing in a NASCAR event if I ever wanted to do that."

Dealer: "Well sir, I can see you know a lot about cars (laughs to himself). Have you ever driven the Ferrari Enzo? Top notch and very race capable..ehem, should you ever want to do that. I know it is a tad more than the lowly Corvette ($225,000 more), but it has upgraded components."