Noida guys beat girls to online shopaholic crown

NOIDA: Everyone knows women love to splurge the minute they hit the mall, but according to a new survey by a website, it’s their male counterparts who take the crown when it comes to online shopping. Go on the internet and there’s no dearth of jokes about how wives can empty out their husbands’ hard-earned cash with one deadly shopping spree, but perhaps men might not have the time to look these up because they’re too busy looking for the best online deals.According to the survey, “Almost twice the number of men shop online as compared to women, as 60% of the orders placed online in a month are by men.” The survey adds, “Guys like shopping online while women just check deals and do window shopping. Men are more comfortable buying everything, from pen drives to mobiles and electronics, and even daily grooming essentials, online. However, girls’ shopping habits are limited to fashion accessories and sometimes home decor.” Men in Noida are not embarrassed to admit that they shop online and cite plenty of reasons to do so.
Online shopping sites are a saviour for long distance relationships
As compared to men, women gift less. Most of the times, it is the girl who receives gifts, and the guy who buys them. Noida guys say that online shopping comes as a saviour when they have to buy gifts for their girlfriends. Pramod Kumar,* a software engineer, who lives in Sector 19, tells us, “My girlfriend shifted to Mumbai last year. Now, we are in a long distance relationship and whenever we have a fight or she gets angry with me, online shopping comes to my rescue. I order stuff for her online. Be it a dress, chocolate or flowers – I buy different items online and send them to her. In fact, my online shopping habits have not only rescued me, but have also made me popular in her hostel.”
While Sushil Samar*, an engineering student and a resident of Sector 31, says, “My girlfriend knows how much I love shopping online. So, she keeps texting me what she also wants to buy. And I have to order and pay for the both of us. Since we are living in two different cities, we can’t go shopping together. But we send each other links on chat, ‘Yeh wala kaisa hai?’, ‘Iska colour pasand hai?’. This way, despite staying away from each other, we can shop together.”
Shop online, avoid traffic
Women shop from malls and markets because for them, shopping is not only about buying what they need, but also an experience that they look forward to. While for men, convenience matters the most. Ankit Singh, a student of computer science, who lives in Sector 93, tells us, “If I have to buy a T-shirt from a branded store, it takes me almost an hour to drive to the Sector 18 market. Spending on conveyance charges or petrol is fine, but what about the traffic? There are so many signals on the way, and the drive never takes less than an hour. Why should I buy from the market when I can just order and get it delivered at my doorstep. Besides, I am very particular about the brands I buy and I know which size of what brand of clothes or shoes fits me. So, it’s not even an issue.”
Go for shopping as wife’s driver, not a buyer
Several men told us that shopping online gives them a happy feeling. It is not only about what they order, but also about how much more cheaper it is when compared to the mall prices. Dilip Magee, a resident of Sector 53, who works in a construction equipment company, says, “I’ve been buying all my stuff online for seven-eight years now. It’s very convenient because everything is delivered at your doorstep. Buying from shops is really boring. But that doesn’t mean I don’t go to the malls at all. I do, but not as a buyer, but as my wife’s 'driver'. ”
Purchasing grocery online makes the wife happy, too
Men say that they don’t go shopping because they don’t have time on weekdays, or even on weekends, they just want to spend time with their family. Bhavuk Sharma, who works as a manager with a civil construction company and lives in Sector 46, says, “When you are working six days a week, why would you go shopping on a Sunday? You would like to spend your day off with your family and not with the crowd in a mall. I not only buy electronic gadgets or clothes online, but even when I have to buy groceries, I prefer going online. I don’t have the time to go to the market to then buy day-to-day items. Online shopping has made my life easier and of course, it has eased my wife’s burden also. Men mostly are clueless about vegetables and daily items, but through these websites, you can shop and be sure of quality as well.”
Kumar Shantanu*, a physiotherapist and a resident of Sector 71, tells us, “Earlier, I used to crib about the lack of daily items’ websites. But the online grocery websites that have come up in last two-three years have really made my life easy. Neither does my wife complain about going out to buy groceries, nor am I blamed for not contributing in the house work.”