Shoe shame: 14% of women hide some of their purchases
http://www2.wsls.com/lifestyles/2011/may/08/tdflair03-shoe-shame-14-of-women-hide-some-of-thei-ar-1017408/
By RICHARD MULLINS | Media General News Service
Published: May 08, 2011
Line up seven women, and at least one likely has a covert pair of shoes she bought but didn't tell her significant other about because they cost so much.
But oh, shoe shopping makes many women happier. The average American woman owns at least 17 pairs of shoes, though many women have three times that many.
Such are a few of the shoe insights that ShopSmart magazine found in their survey of 1,009 American women, offering something of a window into the female mind.
We'll get to the nitty-gritty of the stats, but for now, a few women have passionate opinions to share on shoes:
"Shoes are like boys and chocolate, you see a pair somewhere that you like, and you can't stop thinking about them," said Sharon Britton of Tampa, Fla., while opening her closet and guessing she may have three times the average of 17. That puts her in the top 13 percent of shoe fans.
Her latest pair, "These wonderful, golden, glittery, 5-inch Steve Madden formal heels with a zipper up the back. … But I can't pick a favorite, I love Michael Kors, Juicy, Vince Camuto, Mark Nason boots." There are flip-flops, too.
"Shoes never make your butt look big, you don't have to worry about squeezing into them if you've put on a couple of pounds and they can instantly make you feel sexier," said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart, published by the parent organization of Consumer Reports. "Maybe that's why, despite the economy, we're still buying shoes."
If you're wondering how many black shoes a woman needs, Karen Whetsell has a few around.
"Oh my God, I love shoes, I probably have 20 pairs of just black shoes," Whetsell said. "Buying a new pair of shoes, ah, it always makes you feel better." Whetsell's daughter Savannah chimed in, saying, "I bought this whole outfit, and the shoes, just when I went out for retail therapy."
Now for some shoe insights:
•More than half of women own more than 10 pairs, and 13 percent have more than 30 pairs. That's not including athletic shoes.
•Women typically buy three pairs a year, and on average spend $49 per pair, but, nearly one-third have spent more than $100 on a pair.
•Almost unheard of even five years ago, online shoe shopping is now a "national obsession," with a third of women regular online shoe buyers. Zappos.com says some of their top customers "spend well over $10,000 annually."
•About one in five women go shoe shopping to cheer themselves up.
•Although 86 percent of women say they tell their significant other about shoe purchases, 14 percent admit to "hiding at least one purchase."
As for the types of shoes women buy, most prefer low-rises, but occasionally go for height. Almost 40 percent say flats are their favorite; 8 percent wear heels more than 2½ inches high on a regular basis; and one quarter of women wear 4-inch heels for a special occasion.
About half of women bought an "ugly" pair for comfort, but more women are willing to withstand pain for fashion: 60 percent versus 49 percent in 2007, and six in 10 women carry a backup pair to change into after a party or event.
That fashion can inflict a physical price, too. About half of women have shoe-related blisters, sprains or even broken bones, and one in three had "an evening ruined by an uncomfortable pair of shoes" and one in four said they have had a fall.
Richard Mullins is a staff writer at The Tampa Tribune in Florida.
MY THOUGHTS
What is it with shoes anyway?
Showing posts with label shopaholic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopaholic. Show all posts
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Sunday, October 31, 2010
How Opposite Sexes Decide on Beautiful Shoes
To Buy or Not to Buy: How Opposite Sexes Make Shoe Decisions
How opposite sexes make decisions regarding shoes
Alina Dizik ON May 18, 2010
When Anna Vaysman needed shoes for her Chicago wedding -- she ordered eight pairs. Taking advantage of Zappos.com's lenient return policy, she tried them all on but only kept two of the eight pairs for her big day. She admits browsing through hundreds of shoes -- both online and off -- before making her choice. On the other hand, her husband picked "The" shoe after carefully examining only six pairs. "I'm not a shopohalic, but I like shoes a lot," Vaysman admits.
She's not the only one. With sales of shoes at $1.5 billion in October, this is an objet d'art for American women and one we're still eager to purchase. The right pair of heels is the ultimate accessory to the perfect outfit, and the search for a comfortable sole is endless. "Women make more impulse driven purchases while men buy more for necessity," says Eileen Lewis, director of fashion strategy at the shoe retailer, which sells thousands of shoes each year.
For men, this process is more straightforward, and here the differences begin...
Men: If the shoe fits -- they will buy it
While it may not seem like it, men also have a shopping approach, it boils down to two words: be efficient! "My strategy is to buy a shoe that is going to last -- not only in durability, but in style," says Nathan Geddie from New York. "I want a simple shoe, one that can be dressed up or down."
As women, this is tough to understand. We're surprised that there are rarely emotional strings attached. At the store, men walk in and can walkout with a shoe that's simply good enough minutes later. There's never a yearning for the famous Christian Louboutin red sole -- instead it's more utilitarian, explains Stephen Hoch a marketing professor at the University of Pennslylvania Wharton School who co-authored a study "Men Buy, Women Shop." For example, in the study men ranked the difficulty of finding parking close to the entrance (29 percent of men surveyed) as the number one problem in their shopping experience, while the women were concerned with "lack of help when needed" (29 percent of women surveyed) as their top deal breaker.
The simplicity of buying online is another matter. Currently, men spend 70 percent more on shopping online than women, according to Forrester Research. Unlike women, they're also not swayed by easy returns and would rather order the product than keep searching.
Women: Always waiting for the "right" moment
We agree when other women compare finding yet another pair of perfect shoes to walking on air or even falling in love.
But it's not only the shoe that has to impress -- it's the entire package. Customer service is a must explains Delia Passi, CEO of WomenCertified, a marketing firm in Hollywood, Florida. "They not only want to be pointed in the right direction, but to be escorted and empowered to make the right decision," says Passi and adds that women, unlike men, regularly turn to sales employees for help. "If she is not treated the way she wants to be treated she will talk with her feet and walk."
And unlike men, those of us without the Y chromosome consider walking into some shoe stores a pleasure in itself. Our favorite? The Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store Shoe Salon which boasts it's own zip code. The eighth floor space also has its own express elevator, a VIP room and a repair service. "Value must exceed cost to win her over, and that means being treated well," adds Passi.
Being at a sale is another story. Once we find the perfect fit, we're willing to scoop it right up -- no questions asked.
So what does this all mean during the busiest shopping month of the year? Research suggests it's best to go your separate ways and meet back at home. With such different styles of shopping, a male-female holiday trip to the mall is bound to turn into a battle.
And now that we've deciphered how exactly it is that you shop, it's time to tackle that pressing question of storage space. We, for one, will ask Santa for a walk-in shoe closet.
MY THOUGHTS
"men buy. women shop" that's why shopping together is not a good idea. i'm not a shopaholic myself. well,not anymore. but i love shoes. and i don't follow the principle of "if the shoe fits." shoe manufaturers seem to understand the buying habits of the opposite sexes. men won;t shop because there's no reason to. they don't have much to choose from in terms of style.
How opposite sexes make decisions regarding shoes
Alina Dizik ON May 18, 2010
When Anna Vaysman needed shoes for her Chicago wedding -- she ordered eight pairs. Taking advantage of Zappos.com's lenient return policy, she tried them all on but only kept two of the eight pairs for her big day. She admits browsing through hundreds of shoes -- both online and off -- before making her choice. On the other hand, her husband picked "The" shoe after carefully examining only six pairs. "I'm not a shopohalic, but I like shoes a lot," Vaysman admits.
She's not the only one. With sales of shoes at $1.5 billion in October, this is an objet d'art for American women and one we're still eager to purchase. The right pair of heels is the ultimate accessory to the perfect outfit, and the search for a comfortable sole is endless. "Women make more impulse driven purchases while men buy more for necessity," says Eileen Lewis, director of fashion strategy at the shoe retailer, which sells thousands of shoes each year.
For men, this process is more straightforward, and here the differences begin...
Men: If the shoe fits -- they will buy it
While it may not seem like it, men also have a shopping approach, it boils down to two words: be efficient! "My strategy is to buy a shoe that is going to last -- not only in durability, but in style," says Nathan Geddie from New York. "I want a simple shoe, one that can be dressed up or down."
As women, this is tough to understand. We're surprised that there are rarely emotional strings attached. At the store, men walk in and can walkout with a shoe that's simply good enough minutes later. There's never a yearning for the famous Christian Louboutin red sole -- instead it's more utilitarian, explains Stephen Hoch a marketing professor at the University of Pennslylvania Wharton School who co-authored a study "Men Buy, Women Shop." For example, in the study men ranked the difficulty of finding parking close to the entrance (29 percent of men surveyed) as the number one problem in their shopping experience, while the women were concerned with "lack of help when needed" (29 percent of women surveyed) as their top deal breaker.
The simplicity of buying online is another matter. Currently, men spend 70 percent more on shopping online than women, according to Forrester Research. Unlike women, they're also not swayed by easy returns and would rather order the product than keep searching.
Women: Always waiting for the "right" moment
We agree when other women compare finding yet another pair of perfect shoes to walking on air or even falling in love.
But it's not only the shoe that has to impress -- it's the entire package. Customer service is a must explains Delia Passi, CEO of WomenCertified, a marketing firm in Hollywood, Florida. "They not only want to be pointed in the right direction, but to be escorted and empowered to make the right decision," says Passi and adds that women, unlike men, regularly turn to sales employees for help. "If she is not treated the way she wants to be treated she will talk with her feet and walk."
And unlike men, those of us without the Y chromosome consider walking into some shoe stores a pleasure in itself. Our favorite? The Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store Shoe Salon which boasts it's own zip code. The eighth floor space also has its own express elevator, a VIP room and a repair service. "Value must exceed cost to win her over, and that means being treated well," adds Passi.
Being at a sale is another story. Once we find the perfect fit, we're willing to scoop it right up -- no questions asked.
So what does this all mean during the busiest shopping month of the year? Research suggests it's best to go your separate ways and meet back at home. With such different styles of shopping, a male-female holiday trip to the mall is bound to turn into a battle.
And now that we've deciphered how exactly it is that you shop, it's time to tackle that pressing question of storage space. We, for one, will ask Santa for a walk-in shoe closet.
MY THOUGHTS
"men buy. women shop" that's why shopping together is not a good idea. i'm not a shopaholic myself. well,not anymore. but i love shoes. and i don't follow the principle of "if the shoe fits." shoe manufaturers seem to understand the buying habits of the opposite sexes. men won;t shop because there's no reason to. they don't have much to choose from in terms of style.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
impulse buys cost a girl £1,000 a year
Those little impulse buys cost a girl £1,000 a year
By Daily Mail Reporter
The average woman shopper spends at least £1,000 a year on impulse buys, a poll has discovered.
And if that seems a rather hefty bill for just a few unplanned treats, it’s merely the tip of the iceberg.
A tenth regularly spend £2,500 a year on seemingly irresistible items which ‘caught their eye’ while wandering through the local shopping centre.
Almost every shopping trip ends with an unplanned purchase of some sort, from shoes to DVDs and make-up, the poll suggests.
Two out of three women admit they regularly stray from planned purchases and come home with at least one or more items they hadn’t budgeted for.
Shoes were the most common impulse purchase, followed by DVDs, magazines and clothes.
Household decorations and books were also high on the list.
Seven out of ten women said they had returned from the shops with a pair of ‘impulse’ shoes in the past 12 months.
Five out of ten admitted clothes were their biggest impulse weakness.
A spokesman for OnePoll, which carried out the survey of 2,000 women and their shopping habits, said: ‘It seems millions of women can’t help themselves when they hit the shops.’
Sales were a prime time for impulse buys, with three out of five women admitting they couldn’t help but pick up something extra if it was cheap, he added.
A third confessed to buying something unplanned in a sale just so that they could say they had snared a bargain.
Four out of five women admitted buying items in sales which they would never have considered at full price.
The study also found women are far more likely to make an impulse purchase if they were accompanied by friends, who appear to act as ‘enablers’ to an impulse shopping fix.
Mothers were also ideal partners in crime, it emerged.
Colleagues were also named and shamed as the perfect companions for an impulsive shopping trip.
Unsurprisingly, nine out of ten women said they would not dare to make an impulse purchase if they were out with their other halves.
MY THOUGHTS
think of how much money could have been saved without impulse buying. what's worse, i think, is the lack of space and disorder those impulse buys bring into our lives. you don't really need to them. so they would just take space somewhere. and when you finally decide you want to dispose - even that becomes cumbersome.
By Daily Mail Reporter
The average woman shopper spends at least £1,000 a year on impulse buys, a poll has discovered.
And if that seems a rather hefty bill for just a few unplanned treats, it’s merely the tip of the iceberg.
A tenth regularly spend £2,500 a year on seemingly irresistible items which ‘caught their eye’ while wandering through the local shopping centre.
Almost every shopping trip ends with an unplanned purchase of some sort, from shoes to DVDs and make-up, the poll suggests.
Two out of three women admit they regularly stray from planned purchases and come home with at least one or more items they hadn’t budgeted for.
Shoes were the most common impulse purchase, followed by DVDs, magazines and clothes.
Household decorations and books were also high on the list.
Seven out of ten women said they had returned from the shops with a pair of ‘impulse’ shoes in the past 12 months.
Five out of ten admitted clothes were their biggest impulse weakness.
A spokesman for OnePoll, which carried out the survey of 2,000 women and their shopping habits, said: ‘It seems millions of women can’t help themselves when they hit the shops.’
Sales were a prime time for impulse buys, with three out of five women admitting they couldn’t help but pick up something extra if it was cheap, he added.
A third confessed to buying something unplanned in a sale just so that they could say they had snared a bargain.
Four out of five women admitted buying items in sales which they would never have considered at full price.
The study also found women are far more likely to make an impulse purchase if they were accompanied by friends, who appear to act as ‘enablers’ to an impulse shopping fix.
Mothers were also ideal partners in crime, it emerged.
Colleagues were also named and shamed as the perfect companions for an impulsive shopping trip.
Unsurprisingly, nine out of ten women said they would not dare to make an impulse purchase if they were out with their other halves.
MY THOUGHTS
think of how much money could have been saved without impulse buying. what's worse, i think, is the lack of space and disorder those impulse buys bring into our lives. you don't really need to them. so they would just take space somewhere. and when you finally decide you want to dispose - even that becomes cumbersome.
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