Individually indecisive

I have a theory that, in case of a lagging conversation, food quirks are always good fodder. I don’t let my food touch other food on my plate. JG doesn’t like meat with fruit (think ham and pineapple). A friend doesn’t like ice in her water, but she would like oil, vinegar, and hot sauce on her salad. Everyone has something.

But what about shopping quirks? With all of my talk about PDA memos, target-oriented shopping, budget tracking, and primary objectives, I regret that one may have received an inaccurate view of me as an uber-confident, self-sufficient shopper. In reality, however, my greatest shopping quirk is that I quiver without a second opinion. I routinely call my sister from fitting rooms, trying my best to describe the garment discreetly (I whisper, “They’re wide-leg trousers made of camel-toned, uh, let me see here … wool. And they’re lined. Is it bad that I can only wear them in cooler seasons?”). If I don’t have a shopping buddy, I ask anyone in sight for a thought on whatever I’m debating.

The question arises, then, why I would ever go shopping alone, and the answer lies in what I’m pursuing. For example, last year, I was in the market for a new suit, so I asked a friend to come with me. She was prepared to scout out sale racks, speculate over pants that would inevitably need hemming, and grab alternate sizes while I hemmed and hawed in a fitting room. In that situation, the shopping buddy helped me find a great buy with minimal hassle, and we both had a good time. Success for all!

On Saturday, though, I was shopping primarily for shoes, which was not a happy prospect because it rarely works out in my favor. If I can’t find the shoes of my imagination, the inadequate substitutes I find don’t fit, or the ideal pair is out of my price range, I mumble, get frustrated, lose patience with sales staff, and trot briskly through shoe aisles. I have no desire to subject anyone to that side of me. If I happen to find shoes that suit me, I have a hard time committing because — what if there’s a better, cheaper pair out there? How will I know? What is the return policy? And so, I ask people next to me, salesgirls, or my sister for advice so that the voices in my head are not the only ones at the debate. I feel confident in my ability to assess the fit of something (say, a sweater), but I am completely unsure of figuring out if this pair of shoes is appropriate for work or that jacket is too similar to one I already own or if it’s possible to have too much black clothing.

I hope to dear heaven that I’m not the only one with strange shopping habits, PDA and timetables notwithstanding. Maybe others need to park in the same lot, cover the bottom floor first, or have an Orange Julius or a pretzel in hand. Who am I to judge? Especially since I am shamelessly unable to resist asking, “Is this bag too big for me?”

[As of press time, all votes are "yes" to keeping it...]