Shopping sprees

Ah, shopping sprees. Don't you just love them? As long as you're making choices, and spending money anyway - following mature people around shops, as they get vocally excited at balls of wool, is not such fun.

Now psychologists believe they have explained the reason for some impulse buys & extravagant shopping: the time of the month - shopping being a way for premenstrual women to deal with negative emotions.

With the greatest respect to Professor Karen Pine though, Hippie* has to question these findings. Of the 153 women studied, almost two-thirds of those in the later stages of the menstrual cycle - that luteal phase - admitted they had bought something on impulse. And many felt remorse later.

But what does that prove? If you studied 153,000 women, almost two-thirds would (or at least if they were honest, or understood the harm of a little white lie) admit to have bought something on impulse - regardless of where in their cycle they are.

Now, let's be clear: Hippie isn't a women-basher, either verbally or physically. In fact he despises such conduct. And of course, while not being able to appreciate first-hand just what the regular cycle must be like, Hippie does empathise as much as any man can.

But ladies, really! It's appreciated that you might display emotions, feel discomfort, shout & scream, or find one or more (Hippie's trying to be polite, and does wish not to be in anyway disparaging) of many other means to express yourself. But impulse shopping? For 10 days in a month?

Check your calendars again, and then check your calculators: there are twice as many days in the month that you have yet to account for!

No doubt you indulge in shopping during these uncomfortable 10 days. But be honest with us all - you indulge in shopping in the other 20-or-so days too!

Hippie's view on all of this shopping though is an all-together different matter: as long as it's not for balls of wool, and perhaps if you take in a local inn to refresh yourself/your partner after a long day shopping, what harm? Enjoy, as what purpose does money serve if you can't have fun spending it?

Hippie hopes any males reading this do try to tolerate the difficult experiences their friends/partners/lovers/associates/enemies are experiencing.

And Hippie hopes any females reading this try to understand that we men can't properly appreciate your experiences, but we (at least some of us, anyway) do aspire to be tolerant, and wish - for your sake - that we could do more to help.

Hippie

*No, that's not really Hippie! Did you really think Hippie would publish his image online? Please go back to the start, and read all entries in this blog again.