Shopaholics anonymous!

Nikhil Khatri,a marketing professional is majorly into shopping. “Some people relax by reading,others by listening to music I unwind by shopping. It’s a decent past time wherein I end up spending hours,not just window-shopping,but shopping. As of recently I had shopped for a straight seven hours at malls in and around Camp for a total price tag of Rs 12000,” he says.

The infatuation with shopping for men doesn’t just end here. From shopping for designer clothes,to high-end electronics to even expensive performance gear for their bikes and cars,the new age male is fast entering this traditional female stronghold. Speaking about the same,K Akshay,a software engineer says,“Shopping is a perfect way to while time away on weekends,after a hard week at work. I usually end up shopping for high performance sports gear and the latest in portable electronics. The latest on my list of must buys is the new Casio Protrek series watch.”

Speaking about this reversal in trend Yusuf Chowdhary,owner of a prominent city based apparel store says,“Now-a-days we have people,usually guys,coming in to shop at the store. It’s not about just picking up a t-shirt and a pant,but it’s more about specific colour combinations,specific designs,new styles in vogue and the rest.”

Another shopping enthusiast Ajinkya Bhonsle,says,“I usually shop whenever I am abroad,the stores abroad usually have a wider variety of things. As far shopping goes I have a sizable collection of watches,and my latest acquisition happens to be a ‘Luminor Chronograph’ by Panerai. It’s not just about shopping blindly but looking and feeling good about oneself. As of now,I own five watches from the really high-end brands and around six for normal everyday use.”

The fetish for shopping doesn’t end here. Soham Thorat,an engineer working with a German firm says,“I love collecting sneakers and spend hours looking for limited edition models,or even the exotic limited edition ones like,the Platinumposite shoe from Nike. Recently,I have purchased a limited edition Puma-Ferrari Speedcat Racing Edition Shoe and a custom made Nike Hyperflight basketball shoe.”

If MCPs were bothered by the fact that women were making inroads into professions traditionally dominated by them,its now time for women to feel the heat as guys turn to hit them back by becoming hardcore shopaholics.