I'm not really a shopping man, and the thought of spending more than a few minutes trawling the shops gives me a cold sweat. Laura, who knows me a little too well it seems, discovered a shoal of vouchers in my room recently and has been looking for a cunning way to overcome my spendaphobia.
We'd arranged to meet up with some friends for coffee this morning, after which time Laura was off to Cardiff and I was intending to come home and work. She casually mentioned that she'd had some shoes put aside for me in a shop which I could buy with my vouchers if I wanted. Sounded good... I looked up after coffee to find that the gate to the shopping cage was firmly closed and that the chain was around my neck. "Cornered", I thought, "and in such a simple way!"
It was actually (I quietly admit) a fantastic shopping trip which didn't last anywhere near as long as I had feared. We hardly spent any money because of all the vouchers and there was no procrastinating over colours in the women's underwear section. I'm now safely back at home with a new pair of shoes and a warm glow from getting something for nothing.
Gentlemen, there is life after shopping.
