Women walk miles (and fight) whilst shopping

By Charlotte Hope, Lifestyle Editor @TLE_Lifestyle

Black (eye) Friday passed with much fanfare (and fighting). Cyber Monday was a much more civilised affair, but I bet a few laptop screen were smashed, when the computer crashed just after proceeding to check out. However it turns out that women will walks miles and suffers physical attacks all-year round in pursuit of a bargain.

The average woman will walk 71 miles, spend more than £2,400 – and suffer 72 pushes or shoves from others every year – whilst shopping. In a typical 12 month period women will try on 108 items of clothes and shoes, make 144 purchases and send 36 photos of goods to friends and family for their opinion.

But it’s not all fun and games as women will have their toes trodden on 36 times a year and spend almost 13 hours queueing. And despite the stereotype being the complete opposite, men are just as likely to head off on a shopping trip as women, but spend more money visiting fewer shops.

It also emerged women can expect to walk almost six miles over three stressful Christmas shopping trips searching for presents. A spokesman for WaterAid’s Wahoo, to mark the launch of its celebration gifting page, said: ‘’For some women, shopping is a hobby, with some feeling like there is no better way to spend their spare time than at their favourite store.

‘’But not everyone feels this way and there are some who can think of nothing worse than walking miles around their local shopping centre, wrestling with the crowds. It becomes less appealing when you aren’t even searching for treats for yourself, but having to search high and low for that perfect present for someone else. If you know someone who feels this way about shopping, the best present you can give them this Christmas is the option to not get you a gift.”

The study of 2,000 Brits found the average woman will go on three shopping trips a month or 36 a year.And with each trip lasting an average of two hours and 17 minutes, that means a total of 82 hours – more than three full days – a year is spent traipsing around stores.

Over 12 months of shopping trips, women will visit 216 stores – six on each trip, visiting three of those more than once.As a result, women will walk almost two miles on each shopping trip, a total of 71 miles each year.

After trying on 108 items and sending 36 photos to someone for their opinion, a total of 144 purchases, worth £2,417 are made each year – but 36 buys will be returned on another trip to the shops.

It’s a time consuming job with the average shopper spending nine hours and 17 minutes queuing to buy something new each year – an average of more than 15 minutes of each trip. A further three hours and 40 minutes, or six minutes of the average visit to the shops, is spent queueing to return items bought on a previous shopping excursion. Women can also expect to have their toes stood on once every shopping trip, and get shoved or pushed out of the way twice.

It’s not all hard work though as it also emerged women will take a break with one cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake. On top of that, Christmas shopping means women will embark on an extra three shopping trips, walk a total of almost six miles and spend £271 in their quest to find perfect presents for their loved ones. And even on trips during the rest of the year, an average of 28 minutes and #17.20 a time will be spent looking for gifts for other people.

The study also found that in comparison, men will go on three shopping trips a month, but spend £77 on each trip – £10 more than women.Just over two hours will be spent visiting five different shops, returning to three of them – 20 minutes less than women spend traipsing the shops.

Researchers also found 71 per cent admit they wish they could avoid having to go anywhere near the shops during the festive rush, while another seven in ten said they find present shopping boring or stressful.

More than six in ten also admitted they wish they could just hand everyone the cash this Christmas to avoid the hassle of Christmas shopping, with 49 per cent more likely to give someone a gift card to avoid having to search for gifts.

A spokesman for WaterAid’s Wahoo added: ”This Christmas we’re encouraging people to do something a bit different – avoid the stress of Christmas shopping, and unwanted or inappropriate gifts.”

The average shopping trip: