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[Penners]

Also I dislike the French people who refuse to let you try to improve your poor French by speaking English in reply. I once telephoned an office in Paris and asked, in previously prepared (not bad) French to speak with my contact and the girl on the switchboard just said in English "I'll put you through"!

Had you considered that the girl might have thought she was doing you a courtesy, relieving you of the effort of speaking in French?

 

[FamilyWiggs]

How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris?

Nobody knows - it's never been tried.

Actually, I'm not in favour of anti-Gallic sentiment. I've always found them an absolutely charming race. And contrary to popular myth, we could learn a thing or two about courtesy from them (with the possible exception of Parisian waiters).

British shop assistant, as you pay for your purchase: "Ta," (if you're lucky).

French shop assistant as you pay for your purchase: "Merci, monsieur. Bonne journée."

Average British bloke, greeting you in the street: "A'wight?"

Average French bloke, greeting you in the street: "Bonjour! Comment ça va?"

I couldn't agree more - shopping in France is a delightful experience, and where we often go in provincial Loire they are very patient with my French and very encouraging of the boys' efforts.

Contrast this to shopping in the UK which is an unremittingly miserable experience.

Well, that's my experience, anyway.

 

[Feltwell]

whenever we go there Mrs F does all the talking!

...and this is different at home? Lucky chap!

No, at home the kids get to talk a lot as well!

 

[LadyArowana]

Nothing is better than shopping in Tokyo :lol:

 

[Feltwell]

Surely anything is better than shopping?

The shopping gene bypassed me completely, it is a hellish activity, the pain of which is multiplied by a large factor anywhere near Christmas. Praise be for the internet and parcel couriers!!

OK - I'll make an exception for quirky little shops in out of the way places, they can be fun if they are not crowded. Bluewater, Meadow Hall and our local one, Merry Hill (aka Merry Hell) and the other industrial size shopping centres are my idea of a vision of hell!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, I quite like shopping in our local town; there are no speedy, aloof, transactions. Everybody knows I'm the chatelaine of BC, and I've lost count of the stories I've heard of people's interconnectedness with the cottage, which looks down so sweetly and snootily over all of them. I have a good relationship with my feed merchant, my wallpaper and paint supplier, my mechanic, my butcher, dry cleaner etc etc. It's a shame it's an unremittingly ugly place, and there's little you'd want to buy, but apart from that it's very much old England with everybody knowing everybody's business and people never leaving their jobs.

I agree the modern shopping centre is hell and I wouldn't go near.

And I didn't get a chance to comment on Woody's fine looking house last week, it looks lovely - or will do when that conservatory's gone. :wink:

 

[LadyArowana]

Surely anything is better than shopping?

The shopping gene bypassed me completely, it is a hellish activity, the pain of which is multiplied by a large factor anywhere near Christmas. Praise be for the internet and parcel couriers!!

OK - I'll make an exception for quirky little shops in out of the way places, they can be fun if they are not crowded. Bluewater, Meadow Hall and our local one, Merry Hill (aka Merry Hell) and the other industrial size shopping centres are my idea of a vision of hell!

I still maintain that if you don't like shopping its because you are doing it all wrong :lol:

 

[Penners]

I have a good relationship with my feed merchant, my wallpaper and paint supplier, my mechanic, my butcher, dry cleaner

Really? Does Chris know? :wink:

On a more serious note, I do agree with you about local shopping. Our local town, Bungay, is a delight, with cheery greetings from all and sundry. The only downside is that you mustn't expect to be able to whizz quickly through your shopping. There's invariably an old dear ahead of you at the counter, and a conversation going on with the shopkeeper.

Shopkeeper: "And how is he now? Did they do anything about his...?"

Old Dear: "Ooh no! They said if they messed it about he might..."

SK: "Oh, I knooow. And they get very sensitive about it, don't they - men? Don't like it if..."

OD: "Well thass what HE said. He wasn't going to have them doing anything that..."

SK: "Yes, I knooow. They should try being a woman, eh?"

Etc.

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm with Feltwell when it comes to the 'pleasures' of shopping and tend to agree it's probably a genetic thing associated with the Y chromosome.
This seems to be a fair summary of the differences in approach (apologies for the Americanised version):

 

[LadyArowana]

That diagram perfectly sums up the difference between my husband and I when it comes to shopping. However the only reason we can go directly and find something acceptable is because I pre shop for him and then show him a small selection of things that he might like. Presented with an entire mall full of shops any of which might contain pants he might like he is overwhelmed and after 5 mins will declare that there isn't anything at all for him. :roll:

 

[Penners]

An excellent analysis of the female shopping 'system' there, FF.

It reminds me a little of this explanation of the male and female sex drives:

 

[middi]

Joining in the spirit of this off topic drift.

My dear wife will always pick up three different boxes of cornflakes before one of those ends up in the shopping trolley - WHY !!!!-

Middi

 

[Penners]

Middi - I think the answer to that is the yellow switch, bottom left. You need to turn it to a lower setting.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol:

Those illustrations sum it all up quite perfectly.

 

[Keithj]

Our local town, Bungay, is a delight, with cheery greetings from all and sundry.

Indeed! We wanted a new bed for the cottage in Kirby Cane, so went to Wightmans in Bungay. We had the undivided attention of an expert (I think it was Mr Wightman himself), who asked lots of questions, got us to lie on a couple, then told us which one we wanted. They delivered it immediately (almost got to the house before we did).

It's the best bed we ever had. In fact, we tried to buy one like it for the Essex house, and were sold a pup by "Dreams" who told us we were getting the same - which we weren't. We had to go back to Wightmans again!

But shopping in general - I do most of mine on the Internet.

 

[Penners]

Bungay caters for every kind of retail experience. We even have a general store called Gay Shopper.

Well, actually it's called Bungay Shopper, but as you approach it from the town centre, a bus shelter obscures the Bun...

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Can we stop talking about shopping please - it is making me tired, irritable and sleepy. I need to sit down on a comfortable chair somewhere. Oh god when will this ever end? "Yes dear, they look lovely". Other people's kids are so annoying. "Yes dear, it suits your hair". I'm hungry. "OK, we'll get shoes to match". Shoes - oh god, please kill me now. Ooh look a spider... I wonder where it's going....?

Ad infinitum.

Add to that the mix of my fellow humans, surly shop assistants, depressing store chains selling over-priced tat in hot, noisy brightly lit hell-holes, and it really is a recipe for disaster.

I'm told for some people this is a more than annual experience. Poor sods.

 

[Penners]

Stop beating about the bush, FW, and tell us honestly. Do you enjoy shopping?

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Stop beating about the bush, FW, and tell us honestly. Do you enjoy shopping?

:lol:

I'd rather give up oil and live in a cave, than go shopping more than once a decade.

Thankfully I have t'internet, an accommodating Mrs FW, and I have developed a strict diet/exercise regime that means I am an exact and reliable fit for M&S and John Lewis clothes. These can be brought to me by said Mrs FW (who is my style guru) without fear they won't fit and thus the need to try them on before purcase. In the very occasional circumstance I don't like them, such fine purveyors will accept them back. Or we turn them into dusters.

This arrangement has been working successfully for over a decade now. The only risk seems to be that M&S and John Lewis have made their sizes just a little bit smaller each year - but we've got the rate of reduction sorted now and every three years we increase the waist one size. Ironically they don't seem to be making the legs or arms shorter, just waist and chest. :?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Is anyone ever going to help Woody with some serious advice-------- as to shopping ----well I have one favourite place in North Norfolk, so our local shops rarely see me as I save up for the one and only bit of retail therapy.
By the way Joce, there is a good selection of rugs in Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre-------------