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Old 04-20-2014, 08:49 PM
 
70 posts, read 103,721 times
Reputation: 121

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What I like about shopping:

I love treasure hunting and finding bargains. I think I inherited this "bargain gene" from my Bostonian Yankee mother who loved showing my sister and I the all quality-made items she found at a great deal. I love going to thrift stores and I'm the one who will sit on the floor and dig through boxes to find treasures. I'm even like this at Library books sales and it's thrilling to find books I like at such great prices! I also think it's fun to see what other people are buying and the treasures they've found.

When I shop I like to be in my own personal happy space. I don't mind being in areas with large crowds because I like the idea of being anonymous and left alone. All the voices around me just blend into a kind of background hum and I don't mind maneuvering around people as long as I have freedom of movement to explore what I like. I miss the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers at Christmastime when the economy was better. I liked seeing shoppers delighted with what they found, seeing the creative window displays, and finding good sales. I loved seeing all the costume jewelry and picking out my favorite Christmas sweater pins every year. Also love the giant bookstores like a Barnes and Nobles or a Books-a-Million where I am left alone to relax, browse and shop.

What I don't like about shopping:

I think it's getting harder to find thrift store bargains anymore. I keep hearing how some of the best merchandise donated is being pulled and offered for bid on their retail online stores. Or prices are going up because people want to sell stuff and try to make a profit on Ebay. I also noticed one of the popular name-brand thrift stores in my area decided that they would "go boutique" and only offer what they felt was the best merchandise to sell and set themselves up as a retail store. That kind of depressed me because that took away the "thrill of the hunt" to find an undiscovered treasure. No more digging through boxes to have a chance to find anything. Everything is completely out in the open for everyone to see just like in a consignment store. I can understand throwing out moldy, rotting items, but still, I used to find some of the best stuff like nice brass hardware handles and hinges buried away. I've also noticed the prices of merchandise has risen quite a bit and a lot of the stuff is very picked through.

I agree the quality of merchandise has fallen. I joked in another forum thread how women's clothes are what I call "Rag-on-a-Hanger" and too high priced. Instead of paying more for one good quality piece of clothing that will last for years, it's now clothes that fall apart so often you're forced to replace them once or twice a year. I remember buying nice quality cotton socks that lasted for years. And when did they replace tags on women's underwear and stamping the back inside of them with an ink stamp? Strange. And I absolutely agree about weird clothing sizes. I also wondered why guys would shop for pants and have them tailored for free to shorten the hems. I guess all women know how to sew? Not me!

I'm not comfortable shopping in smaller stores. I've worked in retail so I know how boring it can be when times are slow. I expect a retail clerk to greet me and let me know if I need anything she'll be glad to help. What I don't like is being followed around (and I'm not supposed to notice this) and treated like I'm the world's biggest potential shoplifter because of 1) I'm not dressed well and must be poor and will steal OR 2) I barely put my hand on something and the clerk practically snatches it out of my hand saying "Do you want to buy that? Let me hold that up at the register for you" OR 3) The clerk hoovering over me everywhere I go consistently chattering to me on every move I make. If she wants me to leave, she got what she wanted because I'm not going to spend anything unless I can relax and look at the items.

My heart does go out to retail clerks who have to force me signing up for the store card. I know they don't like doing the pushy sales pitch anymore than I like hearing it. I know there are store policies the clerks are expected to do and they take the brunt of the customer being annoyed by this. I don't like when I'm asked to state any personal information outloud, like my phone number to find an account.

I wish I could buy groceries in a large open-air market with lots of choices. Straight from the local farmers themselves. I don't like grocery shopping because I feel like I'm in Marketing Overkill Infommercial Land. Background easy listening music is okay. But I get tired of those continuous loop commercials that blast over the intercom every 5-10 minutes. I think they bother me the most because they are such an insult to my intelligence. Why do they always have a woman announcer talk to adult women shoppers as if we all have the I.Q. of a turnip? Seriously, she sounds like she's addressing a bunch of pre-schoolers with the happy voice trying to convince them it's so exciting because it's cookie and juice time---oh, boy!

As far as women who really love to shop:

I actually am patient shopping with another woman who truly enjoys it. My style is more thrift store casual and I love sportswear and artistic mix-and-match your own creative clothes combinations. But I was intrigued by women friends who loved reading all the fashion magazines and loved all the new styles. All the feminine wear, accessories and make-up. I had to admire these women who really knew quality materials, labels and knew a great sale and bargain. I think the appeal is they were having so much fun. I'm not into perfumes and make-up but they were at the counters teaching me what they knew about it. They knew it wasn't my style but to me it was like watching a creative artist at work. It's an activity where we could go out and enjoy some "girlfriend" time to talk and have a good lunch too.
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Old 04-20-2014, 10:26 PM
 
368 posts, read 620,226 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by temazepam View Post
You know what I really hate about shopping? The cashier never gives me time to put my change back in my purse! Then my hands shake because I feel so rushed!
I absolutely hate it when they hand you the receipt, the bills, and then the change all on top. Then you're juggling with the coins, trying to put the bills away and the receipt while they hold their hand out with your bag of merchandise because apparently you're a freakin' octupus with 8 hands.
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Old 04-21-2014, 04:53 AM
 
1,410 posts, read 2,130,861 times
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Why do store clerks prefer to put the receipt in the bag, instead of handing it to me? I need to put it in my purse or pocket for my financial records. If it's in the bag, I tend to forget it. In the past, at least they'd ask me, "Do you want your receipt in the bag?" But anymore, they just go right ahead and stick it in the bag without my permission, and I have to insist that they hand it to me.
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Old 04-21-2014, 05:44 AM
 
Location: City Data Land
17,156 posts, read 12,857,051 times
Reputation: 33164
Quote:
Originally Posted by temazepam View Post
You know what I really hate about shopping? The cashier never gives me time to put my change back in my purse! Then my hands shake because I feel so rushed!
X1000. My sister and I were having a conversation about this a couple of months ago. It doesn't matter what kind of shopping we're doing, clothes, grocery, hobby store, etc. . . The clerk always goes on the scanning the next customer's items while I'm madly trying to stuff my receipt and debit card back into my purse and grab my bags. That is one of the most unpleasant things about shopping, hands down. I also dislike stores that ask for my email address/phone number/address just to buy something. I either tell them I don't have one or I give them a fake one. Then I remember not to shop at those stores again. We should not have to give stores personal information just to buy a shirt. Lastly, I don't like stores that make you use a dumb member card to get a discount. Just give the discount to everyone or no one. Grocery stores are the biggest offender, but pharmacies do this also, and clothing stores hit customers up for these cards as well. I won't shop at stores that require that either.
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Old 04-21-2014, 07:13 AM
 
43,303 posts, read 43,968,623 times
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I have no interest in shopping and hate shopping for particular items such as shoes and bras as those items never fit me properly (being in between standard sizes).
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Old 04-22-2014, 11:00 AM
 
1,410 posts, read 2,130,861 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks View Post
X1000. My sister and I were having a conversation about this a couple of months ago. It doesn't matter what kind of shopping we're doing, clothes, grocery, hobby store, etc. . . The clerk always goes on the scanning the next customer's items while I'm madly trying to stuff my receipt and debit card back into my purse and grab my bags. That is one of the most unpleasant things about shopping, hands down...
When this happens, I feel like the cashier and the next customer are breathing down my neck and I have to move out of their way while they're paying and I'm trying to put my money away. It makes me strain to remember how we got along in the days before prices were scanned and the cashier had to manually type in the prices and stuff and check writing was done more commonly. Cashiers even rush me when there's nobody behind me.
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Old 04-26-2014, 02:34 AM
 
Location: Southern California
12,632 posts, read 14,764,388 times
Reputation: 15130
Quote:
Originally Posted by temazepam View Post
Why do store clerks prefer to put the receipt in the bag, instead of handing it to me? I need to put it in my purse or pocket for my financial records. If it's in the bag, I tend to forget it. In the past, at least they'd ask me, "Do you want your receipt in the bag?" But anymore, they just go right ahead and stick it in the bag without my permission, and I have to insist that they hand it to me.
Practically all the time, the cashiers ask me if I want the receipt or if I want them to put it in the bag. I always just say in the bag. I never forget to fish them out later when I get home. By the time I'm home, I usually would have put all the receipts together in ONE shopping bag, so it's easier.
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Old 04-28-2014, 02:33 PM
 
692 posts, read 999,417 times
Reputation: 1914
Quote:
I love going to thrift stores
As do I, but since we're talking about pet peeves, the last couple times I went into a goodwill the clerk asked me if I wanted my change. Ummm, yes. I donate to your stores. I shop in your stores. I want my $3.78 back, please. The same goes for restaurants. Don't ask me if I want my change, bring it all, don't round down and don't delete the coins.
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Old 04-28-2014, 03:20 PM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
894 posts, read 1,130,544 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubina View Post
As do I, but since we're talking about pet peeves, the last couple times I went into a goodwill the clerk asked me if I wanted my change. Ummm, yes. I donate to your stores. I shop in your stores. I want my $3.78 back, please. The same goes for restaurants. Don't ask me if I want my change, bring it all, don't round down and don't delete the coins.
This would also annoy me!
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Old 04-28-2014, 03:43 PM
 
513 posts, read 731,837 times
Reputation: 994
Default It's true, when I was younger and slimmer,

clothes shopping was more fun. I don't enjoy shopping at all for most of the reasons other posters have given--too many choices, good fit is hard to find, frustration with mommies and toddlers, cell phone users plus their cart taking up an entire aisle, sullen clerks, parking frustrating, trying on clothes, (trying on clothes, trying on more clothes) even with sales, you know the store is turning a profit and trying to pass it off as such a great deal, and big confusing stores! Twenty or twenty-five years ago I had the thought if I could buy groceries from a catalog, I would. Now one can buy groceries online. If I were not on a limited income, I would like that a lot!!
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