Posted on 01/12/2014 3:42:43 PM PST by nickcarraway
They offer a range of activities and services to "meet the needs of male customers," such as smoking, internet, drinking, snacks and "beautiful attendants"
It's a cliché to say that men—or, if you want to be gender neutral, "non-shopping companions"—don't do well at malls. (For example, these "miserable men of Instagram.") And in China, nifty facilities for shopping-averse men has popped up in some malls, reports Kotaku. These "husband storage" facilities—also referred to as "husband restrooms" and "husband play areas"—act as both rest stations and meeting points for men who prefer sitting around to digging through the racks. After their lady is finished shopping, she can return to the storage room and pick up her husband, much she would a winter coat left with a coat check. Kotaku reports:
Called "laogong jicun chu" in Chinese (老公寄存处), which literally means "husband cloakroom," the rest stations are for husbands who are either knackered from shopping or for those who would rather spend their time doing something else.
According to Baike.com, the facilities offer a range of activities and services to "meet the needs of male customers," such as smoking, internet access, drinking, snacks, television and "beautiful attendants." But they vary in fanciness depending on the mall. Some "just have benches for the men to sit and think," says Kotaku. Some resemble train station waiting rooms; others are set up like small cafes. Some, as the Global Times reports, are available only temporarily "as a rest stop for the throngs of purse-carrying men accompanying their significant others" during busy holiday periods.
While shopping malls in the West with children daycare facilities are hailed as entrepreneurial, China's husband-catering version, Time writes, adds to the evidence that that country "is the world's leader in innovation." However, the innovation may mainly be that China has a term for this service. NPR reported on the phenomenon of "men at malls" back in 2006 and found at least one store that catered to men by offering TVs showing sports, warm cookies, cappuccinos and reportedly quite comfortable chairs.
“Sad but true. I am the ONLY female I know who HATES to shop. Always did; always will.
Malls: BLARK!!”
I don’t like to shop either:) But my husband spends more time walking around in stores than I ever could. He remembers all the prices elsewhere when he does the food shopping and knows how to save a buck.
Don’t ever enter the golf shop with him without a crowbar...to pry him outa there!
No matter what, all those beautiful attendants WILL be 50 someday and WILL be as haggy, baggy, saggy and as annoying as the rest of the women of the world.
ALL MEN LOVE them. ALL YOUNG WOMEN love them. Aren't they CUTE??? We older women DON'T love them because we were there once, with all the guys drooling over us. Doesn't last, ladies. ALL the men will STOP looking at you one of these days.
True story: I was walking by this 90 year old man one day. Usually I ignore them like the young men and chickypoos ignore ME. But this time I LOOKED at him.
Haha, he was gazing up at me with such love, desire and admiration! Just the way men USED to gaze at ME. Deja vu all over again. (Thank you, Yogi Berra.)
Now there are TWO females on the planet who don't like to shop. I do have to admit that your husband is UNIQUE.
My husband hated to shop and we NEVER went unless it was OBLIGATORY for something absolutely essential.
He was a FABULOUS golfer, absolutely NATURAL talent and he wouldn't walk into a golf shop. Play the game? Of course. Golf shops? Not a chance.
Comfort Ladies?
to keep them from leaping to their deaths?
“Your spouse would hit the big jackpot.”
LOL, from your keyboard to God’s ears!
Since many malls are half-empty these days...
I think what happens, at least with me, is that I go into a store with a mental picture of what it is I want, more or less. I quickly scan what’s there, and as soon as I see a close match, it’s like a trigger fires and I buy it. Then I go. I don’t think women are inclined to shop that way.
Maybe every mall could have 2 rooms set aside, one for DUmmies with rubber walls and one for normal people with talk radio and high-speed internet with FR as the homepage
Another female here who hates to shop, including for groceries. My DH does the food shopping probably 90% of the time and he LOVES it, especially Wegmans. If I have to go, I’ll get what we need for the immediate future, occasionally will go to stock up on “personal” things and that’s it (well, maybe grab some extra TP, as one can never have enough of that)
I also have no great love of shoes and I have rarely owned more than one functioning purse/handbag at a time. When the one I have starts to fall apart, I get something else, but not more than $30, if that. I have to borrow those little clutch-y things for formal stuff, luckily my mother-in-law has a ton of ‘em.
It's like what another poster said: hunter vs. gatherer. The gatherer (female) goes into the field (mall), carefully going from bush to bush (i.e., store to store), comparing the various colors and sizes, discriminating the different choices to make sure which ones are safe vs. which ones are unsafe (i.e., bad value). Since this is crucial to the survival of the species, it takes a long time.
The hunter (male) goes out to the savanna (mall), spies a herd of pants, kills one, and brings it home.
All clothing stores have a man-chair.
Nice!
My wife and I needed business attire for an event we were attending. The last suit I bought I think Bush Sr. was President.
We went to the mall. I suggested outside the mall clothing shops, she said no. So off to the mall we go. We park, walk into the mall, kiss and agree to meet back here in 3 hours.
Her day... 3 hours later all she has is a pair of shoes which may or may not be right depending on the dress she needs to buy. She didn’t find anything to wear so we have to go somewhere else.
Me... Walked out of the mall, went across the street to a men’s store, bought suit, which they custom tailored, two shirts, two ties as well as some casual clothing, watched part of the Notre Dame game on their huge flat screen, had lunch there including beer, went to guitar center, played several accoustic guitars, walked over to gun store, left there and walked over to cigar store. Had nice Avo and a glass of Garrisons Bourbon, bought a few cigars for my humidor, walked back to clothing store, picked up my threads, put them in trunk, walked over to meeting place and waited for her.
I’m not a fan of shopping either so that’s 3 women.
I prefer shopping online. Better deals I think.
Oh no dear girl. There are about 17 women in America who hate to shop. Welcome to the club. We are few but mighty. :-)
Pics?
Make that 18 :)
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