I was reading a book on shopping behaviors, about how malls are the first taste of freedom for the average teenager today in the US, who has grown up with them. My feminine side kicked in with my brain making random connections, linking to a topic that's always close to heart for many of my female Indian friends.
The topic in question interests, as I suspect, most first generation immigrants - its about the vacillation between wanting to go back to the home country vs. staying put in the US. Its quite typical that for most part (at least among folks I know), women are likely to be more keen on going back, while men are pretty happy campers here in the US. Most women wonder, as to why men don't want to go back, especially when Wage theory no longer holds entirely true.
So reading through this book, it hit me .. it is because ... Men feel at Home (Depot) here in this land of plenty; not to let down Lowes, where men go when they want to feel the highs. Or there's Radio Shack, you know, for when you can't hit the track ;) Its of course priceless to have a MasterCard for all the things that money just can't, Best Buy. Or a Visa, for all the places and things you can't Go without!!
Out here, when men have to share the chores and figure out dinner for the night, there's always Fast food -- a burger here, a pizza there -- don't have to get your hind out of the car to get food, as the family's designated hunter. Did I mention the variety of booze -- there's no way in our lifetime we'll achieve that range of variety, back home. Or Cars! Well, our values force most men to stay put with wifey #1, however, loyalty to cars is not a gender expectation of an appropriate male any where in the world - au contraire, its the exact opposite. So, where better to indulge in a series of car-affairs, than here. Some deliberations about pros and cons of moving back vs. staying on include such shopping wins such as being able to get jusssttt the right half-sizes of Dockers pants here, unlike back home, where a custom fit is as impossible as being able to walk to the local tailor!
Coming back to Home Depot, given a choice, most men would shop for *everything* over there. A certain gentleman we know is to be found at the Home Depot, no matter what time or day of the week, when we call him. From his strained voice on the other end of the line, I can almost visualize him straining into his Jaw Bone trying to make a forced conversation with a woman(!), and steer his overabundant shopping cart at the same time. At Home Depot and other such stores, men like him are like a community of zombies, each in his own silent world, away from kids, the wife, the home which needs fixing (eventually..) i.e. a few alone and quite moments of noooo r.e.s.p.o.n.s.i.b.i.l.i.t.y ... ahhhhh sheeeer bliss!! The only thing missing at a time like this would be a bottle of beer!
To drive revenue growth at these stores, they would be well served by hiring some short people, (yes, elves would be great!), to walk under the radar of such busy gentlemen and pop-in a few more expensive items into their carts, for them to be gleefully delighted at, once they got home. Realization would likely occur only then, that, that item was probably not something that they recognized. But then, try and go back into the shopping trance at home, the brain delivers another dose of happiness, and the mind reconstructs a false memory of the hand gently brushing the soft bubble wrap of the item, that is now being examined. "Maybe I did pick it up! I think this is just what I needed, anyways!" and the smile broadens at the serendipity. Talk about customer delight and higher revenues at the same time! Never mind, that the bill is a tad higher than expected - what's a few bucks more in a days worth of all-alone shopping!
Ok, top item on the shopping list -- Gaaadggeeetss!! Google for gift ideas for men (most probably bought by men) -- see some absolute must-haves -- Wireless talking bbq + oven thermometer!! To grill man, one hafta have this - or it ain't no fun grillin! Or how about the personalizable beer holster? My favorite - the remote controlled rolling beverage cooler. And you can get it for 17% off at that. Deals baby deals. Yeaahh!! Men looove them! Well that's one class of gadgets.
Then comes the real class of gadgets -- yes the Siri loaded ones! Siri vs. Sirimati, anyday mate! You should see the sheer glee on their faces when their gizmos do cool things. Like seeing the Kindle app downloading a book on the iPad, the moment one hits "CheckOut" on a different gizmo, say the laptop, or the latest mobile. The glow could be pretttty reminiscent of the one on seeing the first born.
So move on, you topless beaches. You're not the real reason for our men's pledge of allegiance. It's the shopping!!
Oh ok, maybe not entirely. You come a close second!
