Taste of Kiwi

I’m blogging at My Foolish Wisdom today with Soldier of Fortune. I’m talking about Occupations in Romance, and I’m doing a giveaway. Here’s the link to My Foolish Wisdom.

Last week I watched a reality-type show on the Living Channel called Shopping is My Life. Each show features a shopping addict and two experts give them advice so they can get their habit under control. They mentioned some interesting statistics about shopping.

The average person used to purchase 19 items of clothing per year.
The average person now purchases 34 items of clothing per year.
The featured shopping addict purchased 400 plus items of clothing per year.

My sister really enjoys the Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic series and has suggested I read them. I haven’t seen the movie either. Maybe one day soon. It’s on my list, but from what I hear the heroine should probably submit themselves to the Shopping is My Life experts.

I’ve had a rough count, and I think I’ve purchased 15 items of clothing and footwear this year. It’s been a busy year shopping for me this year. Last year it would have been well under 10 items. I can’t imagine 400 items. That’s a lot of shopping!

How many items of clothing have you purchased this year? Have you read any of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series? Have you seen the movie? If so, what did you think?

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Happy New Year!

Last week I told Mr. Munro I would like to go shopping on New Year’s day. I backed up the suggestion with additional information, saying the sales were on and I thought it would be quiet.

“Okay,” Mr. Munro said.

“I want to buy some summer clothes. A skirt or something.” I watched him closely, and to his credit, he barely flinched.

This morning he brought me a cup of tea in bed. That was about eight o’clock. Not long after, I wandered into the office. A sort of a hint to tell hubby it was my turn on the computer. I wanted to do a few promo things.

“You should hurry,” he said.

“But it’s only eight and the shops don’t open until ten.”

“We’ll have a coffee. I don’t want to be late and face crowds of people.”

I decided I wouldn’t argue the point and went off to have a shower. Updating my website etc could wait. We arrived before ten but most of the shops were open.

“I think I’ll check Stax first,” I said.

Hubby followed me into the dress shop that happens to be my favorite because everything is NZ made. I looked at a few things and he gave his commentary. I walked down the end of the shop and looked back at Mr. Munro. He was standing by a rack of dresses with his arms folded across his chest and an expression on his face that a wife doesn’t really like to see.

“Don’t fold your arms,” I said. “It’s annoying.” He did a sort of grunt and unfolded his arms.

We moved on and after a coffee, stopped at the next shop on my list.

“What do you think of this?” I demanded.

“Too busy.”

Finally, armed with a couple of outfits I went to the dressing room. I put them on and went out to show hubby. He nodded, which is short-speak for good. I noticed he didn’t cross his arms again. Definite Brownie points. About twenty minutes later we left with two skirts and a top.

“You were very good,” I said to Mr. Munro. “Thank you.”

He grinned and said, “It might have been different if we’d gone to a third shop.”

We stopped at Borders for a while and then to the grocery shop. Mr. Munro enjoys food shopping and he was positively cheerful by the time we left the shopping center.

How is your husband/partner/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend at shopping? Does the experience turn into a nightmare or is it a fun excursion? Who does the grocery shopping in your family?

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1. In ancient times, there was no money. People bartered or traded goods, that they had produced themselves.

2. In the past, customers were served by the shopkeeper, who would retrieve all the goods on their shopping list. Shops would often deliver the goods to the customers’ homes.

3. This changed to self-serve shopping where customers selected the goods, retrieved them off the shelves and packed their own goods. Customers deliver their own goods.

4. These days many of us shop on the internet, our goods are packed by the shopkeeper or his staff and delivered to us. We’ve come a full circle!

5. Sylvan Goldman invented the first shopping cart in 1936. He invented the first shopping cart by adding two wire basket and wheels to a folding chair.

6. The first shopping mall was the Country Club Plaza, founded by the J.C. Nichols Company and opened near Kansas City, Mo., in 1922.

7. At the start of the nineteenth century a form of mass produced clothing developed. It was of a simple basic style, mainly for ordinary men and women and unsuitable for the high fashion market of the upper classes. The only acceptable ready made items for the wealthy were free size garments like mantles, cloaks and shawls.

8. The American, Gordon Selfridge, invested in building a huge store in Oxford Street, London in 1909. Staff were hired months before it opened. They were trained in selling the Selfridge way. Shoppers flocked to the store when they heard of the delights inside such as make up and perfume. Clothes departments sold all manner of goods and hard to find items. Music greeted the shoppers and browsing there could be an all day experience. Shopping there was intended to be a recreation.

9. A Philadelphia pharmacist named Asa Candler invented the coupon in 1895. Candler bought the Coca-Cola company from the original inventor Dr. John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist. Candler placed coupons in newspaper for a free Coke from any fountain – to help promote the new soft drink.

10. The first patent for bar code (US Patent #2,612,994) was issued to inventors Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver on October 7, 1952.

11. Shopping can be a disease – Compulsive shopping or spending can be a seasonal balm for the depression, anxiety and loneliness during the December holiday season. It also can occur when a person feels depressed, lonely and angry. Shopping and spending will not assure more love, bolster self-esteem, or heal the hurts, regrets, stress, and the problems of daily living. It generally makes these feelings worse because of the increased financial debt the person has obtained from compulsive shopping.

12. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping. ~ Bo Derek

13. Shopping is a woman thing. It’s a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase. ~ Erma Bombeck

Extra: Shopping is better than sex. If you’re not satisfied after shopping you can make an exchange for something you really like. ~ Adrienne Gusoff

Do you prefer to shop online or do you like to shop in person at a department store or mall?

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My special guest today is Sandra Cox. Sandra writes for several publishers including Cerridwen Press, Wings ePress and Highland Press. A vegetarian and animal lover, Sandra is an Administrative Assistant by day and an author by night. She hopes to write full time in the not too distant future.

Today Sandra is talking about a topic dear to many of our hearts – shopping.

Read the rest of this entry ?

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