"Shopping" or "Errands"

[mickeyd]

After many years of marriage I have just come to the realization that the words shopping and errands have much different meaning to men and woman.

From this man's point of view "shopping" means that I have a need for an item, for example a new 14MM socket as mine got stripped due to many uses, and I am going to a store to obtain a replacement.* So I decide to do "shopping" at Wal-Mart and buy a new 14MM socket. I learn that I can not buy a single socket, so I decide to purchase a new socket set which includes the 14MM socket. I grab the socket set and go to the check out counter that has the fewest waiting customers and I'm out of there* in about 10 minutes and head for home.

On the other hand, DW advises me on Saturday AM that she is going out for a little shopping and a "few errands".* She returns 5-6 hours later with several bags of purchases and several new credit card receipts totaling hundreds of dollars.

As you can see DW and I have a different defination of "shopping".*

As for "errands", that is not a term that I can ever recall using, but I equate it to something like going to the post office to mail a package or to the place that you get your car inspected for that little window sticker or to the hardware store to buy some nails to repair the fence.*

Evidently errands and shopping means a diferent thing to the fairer sex and always involves spending a relatively large dollar amount on stuff.

DW and I seem to speak the same language (English) most of the time, however some of the words in that language have had their meaning changed over time and I was not consulted, nor was I ever officially notified, of this costly change.

I no* longer will use the term "shopping" and since "errands" is not a usual part of my regular lexicon, I will continue to not use it.

Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me?

[F M All]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyd DW and I seem to speak the same language (English) most of the time, however some of the words in that language have had their meaning changed over time and I was not consulted, nor was I ever officially notified, of this costly change.

Now you know how Brits feel about American use of English..............!

[AltaRed]

The Canucks don't understand it either. Truth be known, Americans actually speak American, which includes a number of shortcuts vis-a-vis English.

[SteveR]

Yep!

You got it right from.

Errands are trips that may require small to medium sized purchases...stamps, car wash, groceries, hardware, lightbulbs, gallon of milk, cleaners, car inspection, ship packages, etc. just about anything that involves picking up, dropping off or standing in line. *

Shopping is a whole different animal. *

With all due respect to our caveperson ancestors:

Men hunt it down, kill it and drag it home.

Women go out, frequently with other women, and spend the day looking for just the right fruit, nut or grub and eventually come home with their "treasures" and then want to describe in detail the previous 8 hours of their "gathering" activities.

Shopping for men is look it up, compare it to similar items, determine the best value, find it, buy it and then enjoy it. *Talking about it is optional. *

The previous statements were sarcasm (mostly). *

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i never cared much for either shopping or errands. i'm too cheap for one and too lazy for the other.

[Outtahere]

SteveR

You have the same definition of shopping and errands as I. Errands are post office, prescription pickup, gas the car, stop for milk/bread type of purchasing.

Shopping is a whole nuther animal of which I seldom partake. I shop like a man, know what I want, go in, get it, get out as fast as possible, BUT that doesn't mean it doesn't cost me as much, it just doesn't take me as long.

C__

[KB]

I agree on the terminology too.

I rarely go shopping, but have errands that I do weekly. Grocery store, Sam's club, Walmart, buying gas are errands. Shopping is searching out that 1 item at different stores until you find the right one.

[justin]

Seems like it's all semantics.

[AltaRed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KB I agree on the terminology too. I rarely go shopping, but have errands that I do weekly.* *Grocery store, Sam's club, Walmart, buying gas are errands.* Shopping is searching out that 1 item at different stores until you find the right one.

Agree as well... and DW would too. She does like to do the latter. I prefer to do none of the above.

[SteveR]

Semantics or not my second wife was a "professional" shopper. How a person could spend nearly 16+ hours over nearly every weekend "shopping" is beyond me. While I appreciated her desire to save $$, shopping away the weekend was not my idea of a good time. My back problems prevented me from just standing around while she shopped so I usually stayed home and did my own thing while she shopped 'till she nearly dropped.

One down side to all the shopping was finding room for all the "stuff." Hence the larger than normal house with gobs of storage (all full) and "stuff" stuffed into every drawer, closet and cubby hole in the whole house. She also would not throw anything out unless it was clearly worn out or so far out of style that there was no hope of it every coming back again. I am still dealing with the "stuff" she obtained during her shopping expeditions. :

[OldAgePensioner]

In the last month, I've allowed "shopping" back into my life. I rarely buy unless in the process of shopping something that I truly need is right there in the Good Will or Salvation Army thrift and at a very cheap price.

Two very nice shirts and a beautiful coffee mug $8.50.

[mickeyd]

Quote:

Two very nice shirts and a beautiful coffee mug $8.50.

Assuming that the coffee cup was a 50 cent item, ya gotta love those $4 very nice shirts....make um last 10 years and you sir, have 40 cent shirts and that is quite impressive. 8)

[OldAgePensioner]

mickeyd,
One was a brand new Gap longsleeve and the other an Old Navy longsleeve. Both cost about $29 new. And they are very stylish.

The coffee mug is a tall, flourescent yellow Pacific Bell SMART Yellow Pages adware and it weight about 5 pounds. It looks cool.

If I needed pants, there were 20-30 pairs of Docker, Polo, Gap, khakis all brand new, gift that was wrong size?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin Seems like it's all semantics.

Good one.

My wifes a native californian and i'm from the east coast. We run into goofy differences in 'terminology' all the time.

By the way, never tell your west coast raised wife that she's "a pretty good ****", a term of moderate endearment in many areas in New England.

[OldAgePensioner]

I grew up on the West coast and had many of those, thanks.

For the love of all things Holy, are we in the gutter again?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Some of us never leave...

[Dreamer]

Guess that I am not the typical female shopper. I do not care for shopping. I recently went shopping with relatives at the Potomac Mills Outlet (huge shopping place) and my only purchase was dinner and later a bottle of water. Shopping is just not my thing.

[Dreamer]

Actually in our family my spouse does more shopping. He goes to yard sales, flea markets, auctions and auto parts stores way too often!

[d]

Quote:

Seems like it's all semantics.

not at all! it a whole other language. and you'll find yourself in big trouble when you think you understand it, cuz you never will.

[mickeyd]

Quote:

He goes to yard sales, flea markets, auctions

Please advise him that his man-card has been suspended and the committee will be reviewing his case.