NEWS COPY
It may seem like a lot longer ... but the average bloke will spend more than three weeks of their life - waiting for their other half to shop, a study has found.
Wives or girlfriends browsing and trying on clothes means the average man will spend around 23 minutes of each shopping trip standing awkwardly outside a store or changing room.
And with couples going shopping twice a month together, this amounts to almost 47 minutes a month or nine hours and 22 minutes a year hanging around. Over the average adult lifetime, this is equivalent to 24 days.
The study, commissioned by Andrews Air Conditioning, also found having to wait for your partner is among the most annoying things about shopping, along with crowds, queues and shops which are too hot.
In fact, temperature is a huge factor in our enjoyment of shopping, with 47 per cent saying they find shops are often too hot.
Almost half of Brits even admitted they have been so uncomfortable in a shop which is too warm or cold, they have ended up leaving without making any purchases.
One in five have even complained to a manager or member of staff about a shop being too hot or cold, while another 21 per cent have wanted to.
The poll of 2,000 adults found that half of blokes follow their partner around the store while they are shopping for themselves, while 37 per cent find a spot out of the way and just wait there.
Others stand or sit at the entrance to the shop, browse the internet on their phone or call or message friends.
One in ten have even used the time to slope off and get some food or drink.
But more than a third of couples admit leaving a partner waiting while they go off to shop has led to arguments, with more than one in ten men admitting they have point blank refused to go shopping with their other half as a result.
The study also revealed the nation's top shopping gripes, with crowds, long queues to pay and not being able to find an item in your size in the top three.
Shops being too hot, having to queue to use the changing rooms and stores only having one till open when they are busy also feature.
Not being able to find a member of staff or anywhere to sit and rest, and sales staff who are too pushy or pounce on you as soon as you walk through the shop complete the top ten.
Hot and stuffy changing rooms and stores which are too cold are also among the most annoying things about shopping.
Carl Webb, UK Sales director for HVAC at Andrews, said: It is vitally important to ensure that retail environments are cool and comfortable for customers because studies show that shops failing in this department often lose out on business.
"By installing a permanent air conditioning system or even sourcing a temporary cooling arrangement during peak periods of hot weather, you are far more likely to see people remain in your shop for longer - than thus spend more money."
Top 30 most annoying things about shopping
1. Crowds
2. Long queues to pay
3. Not being able to find an item in your size
4. Shops being too hot
5. Queues for the changing rooms
6. Only having one of several tills open when it's busy
7. Not being able to find a member of staff
8. Not having anywhere to sit and rest
9. Staff who pounce on you as soon as you walk in the shop when you just want to browse
10. Pushy sales staff
11. When the music is too loud
12. Not being able to find what you were looking for
13. Not being able to see how much something is clearly
14. Staff who aren't interested in helping you when you need it
15. Cluttered sales rails that are impossible to browse easily
16. Changing rooms which don't have any hooks
17. Changing room curtains which don't close properly or are hanging off the rails
18. People invading your personal space while queuing
19. Hot and stuffy changing rooms
20. Having to listen to bored children whinging
21. Having to wait for your partner
22. Not being able to find the pay desk/till
23. Having a limit on the number of items you can take into the changing rooms in one go
24. Changing rooms which are too small
25. Badly lit changing rooms
26. Dark or badly lit shops
27. Not being able to reach the top shelf or high rails properly
28. You're bored and uninterested partner following behind you while you browse
29. Paper bags which break when they get wet or if they have too much in there
30. Shops being too cold
ENDS
