Guy Shopping in Miniature

Back in April I wrote about the art of guy shopping, a phenomenon initially experienced with my husband, and subsequently with the spouses of my sisters and girlfriends. However, I’ve never actually observed this in young boys, until this past trip to Amsterdam. Watching my nephew shop for souvenirs was just like watching my husband, but in miniature. He knew exactly what he wanted and only needed to be shown where to find it.

M’s shopping list included:

Baseball hat with Dutch logo
World Cup soccer shirt with player’s name and matching shorts
Regular T-shirt with Dutch logo
Two shot glasses for his brother and sister (I had no idea they were collecting)
Cheese for Mom and Dad
Chocolate for himself and the family.

The more I suggested options, the more determined (albeit very polite) M was to get only what he had listed. I finally turned him over to my husband and asked H to handle the shopping while I simply tagged along and made sure the artwork on the coveted items were family-appropriate.

Except for the soccer shirt (which took a little extra time to have the name put on), we were done in a little over an hour. Consequently, I have concluded that the nature of guy shopping has to be genetic. Males must be born with a special shopping chromosome that prompts them to shop efficiently and with laser-like focus.

Images from top to bottom (click on image for better detail):
1. Hat bought in less than five minutes (note empty spot near top)
2. Soccer shirts not up to snuff at this shop
3. Happy camper – success at the sports store
4. Studying cheese varieties
5. Happy camper – success at the cheese shop
6. H and M calculating the exchange rate
7. Success at H’s favorite souvenir shop