Shopaholic

No, not me. The Postman.

I used to think I liked to shop. It turns out I don't.

The Postman is that unusual male who really likes shopping. He likes to walk through stores, just browsing and looking at the merchandise. When we go to Sam's Club or the grocery store together, he strolls up and down every single aisle. Me, I like to be in and out as quickly as possible. Get what I need and get out. So this has been somewhat of a compromise in our relationship. I try to only grocery shop during the week when he is at work, and he's caught on to that little trick. However, Sam's is about 1/2 an hour away and we usually go every other week after we've dropped the kids off with their dad. So in exchange for going to the grocery store without him, I endure aisle after aisle at Sam's. That's the compromise.

He also researches every major purchase he makes. In Consumer Reports. Online. In the stores. Talking with friends/coworkers/his brother. Sometimes (and he knows this), it makes me want to take away all his access to the outside world and scream "Just buy it already!"

This is how I spent a good part of last weekend:

Saturday: Bi-weekly trip to Sam's. Today is the day. He's going to buy the TV of his dreams. Except they don't have one in stock. So we walk around and around and around the TVs. As if one will magically appear. Finally, he's done looking/sulking, and we go on with our shopping (actual items we NEED). When our cart is full, we head toward the check out. Except...what's this?...He's headed BACK over to the TVs. What the...? And around he goes. Looking at all of them again. At this point I tell him I am going to go stand on line at the registers. He starts sulking more and follows me over. I tell him he is welcome to keep looking while I check out, but I really don't think it is going to appear. Now he starts POUTING, and says he was looking at other ones instead. AFTER he has researched THIS ONE incessantly and has decided it is the best one for us. Please tell me we are not going to start the process all over again just because they don't have the tv today. They WILL have them, he just needs patience. It's already been a several month process for god's sake, what's another week or two?

When we get home, he gets online. I wasn't sure what he was doing until he asked if I would go with him to the OTHER Sam's Club (about an hour away) on Sunday - because they have them in stock! I said I would but he'd have to feed me first.

Sunday: We get up and hit the road fairly early. After a stop for breakfast, we arrive at Sam's. He spots the tv he wants immediately, we load it on to a cart, and head for the checkout. This is a new record! I am more than thrilled! Until we get to the checkout. P-Man whips out the debit card and runs it through the machine. It rejects. There is a daily limit on how much you can use your debit card for. Duh. Although we knew that, it didn't even occur to us. But that's ok he says to the clerk, just run it through as a credit card. Except that Sam's doesn't take Visa credit cards. Um, what?

I seriously thought he might cry now. So we head out to the car to brainstorm. I count my cash, he counts his cash. I know what our limits are on ATM withdrawals, and I'm adding it all together trying to avoid what I know his suggestion will be. It's not even close. There's no way to scrape it all together. We drive home ( an hour) to get the checkbook and drive back to Sam's (another freakin' hour - because we need to have this tv NOW!). So much for getting up early so as to not waste the whole day on this little adventure. Heh.

But he is so happy with his new tv. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Honey, c'mere...look at this!" (Although between you and me...I don't really see all that much of a difference....). And I realize that really, in the whole scheme of things, if that's all I have to complain about, then I'm a very lucky woman.

I can't complain, but sometimes I still do. ~Joe Walsh