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In general, the world believes that people in New York and Hollywood are major shoppers who spend every cent on goods and services. News flash, people! This isn't the case at all. Americans, despite their reputation as indebted shopaholics, fall below the global average for recreational shopping.

A recent survey reveals that only half of Americans go shopping even when they don't really need anything. In comparison, the Asia-Pacific region has a huge number of recreational shoppers, with 84 percent shopping for fun. What are some of the reasons for this phenomenon? Why are Asians so keen to shop? According to the survey, their super-crowded environment is one indicator.

People living in these countries will do anything to get out of their cramped apartments and hang out with their friends. ACNielsen Malaysia's managing director Steve Watt said shopping has become a national pastime in many Asian countries. "People go there to escape the worries and stress of work and home life and meet their friends and 'hang out'," he said. "What better way to do this than shop?" He also adds, "The young adult populations in Asia are ambitious, hard-working and have money to spend on their lifestyle. They are also brand-conscious and internationally aware of what their counterparts in the West are wearing and buying."

Many people believe that having a big bank account drives one to shop. Does this mean that all Asians are rich? Not really. The survey says that what drives one to shop is not "how much money one has," but "whether or not one enjoys it." That's what recreational shopping is all about. For example, in the poll, 44 percent of Asian consumers rated their financial status as not so good or bad, compared to just 36 percent of consumers in the US. The reason for Americans' lagging interest in shopping might be their personal attitudes toward it. According to the survey, 14% of US consumers said they hate shopping for clothes while 70 percent see grocery shopping as a necessary chore.

In comparison, 41% of Koreans said that shopping is their favorite thing to do, both for clothes and groceries. Another interesting fact is the background many of these Asian shopaholics come from. Asians, and more notably South Koreans, have traditionally been brought up with the Confucianist belief that frugality is next to Godliness.

The generation of the Korean War survived poverty and saved every single coin for a ball of rice. Since then however, Korea has jumped on the capitalist gravy train. Economists even have dubbed the Korean economy as "Ultracapitalism." Today, Koreans, and Asians alike, have thrown all frugality in the air and have begun spending all their hard earned savings on worldly consumption. The founders of these countries must be rolling in their graves.


In a recent trend that is changing how people describe men and women, a survey has revealed that men suffer from compulsive buying just as much as women. The survey showed that the images of board men shopping with wives and girlfriends in busy shopping malls are no longer accurate. Dr. Koram, a Stanford university researcher said that the numbers of men who indulge in unnecessary shopping sprees has increased: “That’s the biggest surprise – men engage in this behavior almost as commonly as women.”

Dear Ann Landers: My husband loves to do the shopping, which I don't mind at all. The problem is, he buys too much of everything. We live within five blocks of two grocery stores, a hardware store, a craft shop, a lumberyard and a drugstore, so he goes shopping almost every day. We now have on hand 20 bottles of body lotion, 15 bottles of out-of-date cold medicine and enough scraps of wood to last a lifetime. The freezer is full of meat that is three years old. There are enough vitamins, shampoos and razor blades to last a lifetime. We are both 65 years old, and no one else lives here. It upsets me tremendously that he wastes money on stuff we don't need, yet he gets upset when I complain. Have you ever heard of such a problem, and is there a name for it? What can I do to help him -- or am I the one who needs help?
During his lunchtime on Tuesday, Jang Woo-bin, 32, grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court of a department store in southern Seoul and walked around to shop for fall clothes for himself. ``I often use my lunch break to shop as I have to work late during weekdays and hang out with my friends on weekends,’’ said Jang, who works in an entertainment company. ``I used to wear what my mother bought me. But now I try on clothes and decide what to wear all by myself.’’


Question
1. Do you like shopping?
    How long can you spend time for shopping? Do you think you are a shopaholic?
2. Sometimes you buy something on impulse. Tell us what made you to buy.
3. How do you feel when you go on a shopping?
    Do you have limit of money when you go on a shopping? Which things you usually buy?
4. When you buy something, do you buy at once or do you look around more, compare and buy?
    Tell us some know-hows not to buy on impulse.

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