The joy of shopping

What is the meaning of the term "holding the bag"? And where did the saying come from? I pondered this on Saturday when some US colleagues were kind enough to take me along on their shopping expedition. Those who know me will be scratching their heads in puzzlement now: K - shopping? !#@&! … with the latter (!#@&!) being what I usually protest when prompted to go shopping.
But, hey, it was Saturday afternoon, it was Bangkok and … well, I don't have to justify this... although I realise it may be helpful later to explain the exact circumstances and reasoning - so I can have a choice on future trips. But back to the shopping.
I have never really been a shopper - except perhaps in $2 (bargain) shops and electronics stores. Dragging me around to shops for clothes or accessories or just about anything else in the world was, and for future reference, is, torture.
But seemingly not so for the three US colleagues.
Is there a cultural difference in how women shop? Is there a gender difference in how men and women shop - eg that diagram of women going into a mall and meandering around, and of me (oops, meant to write "men") who will go straight to the item to be purchased? Is there a difference depending on your initial shopping experiences? Is there a difference depending on socio-economic factors? Is there a difference based on your personality - assuming that one's personality is more than all of the above.
Hmmm. These were among the other questions I pondered in the hour that I stood outside the 2m x 3m handbag shop where two of the shoppers were ensconced. The third ventured out from time to time for air and a look at some of the other hundreds of stalls in the MBK complex. But her return was eagerly awaited - and in these times I began a new role as "look out" because it was she who was the most experienced in a skill that comes in quite useful in Asia - bargaining.
I say "new" role because after our first stop at the silk stall (30 minutes plus), and the first round of purchases, I had appointed myself "bag carrier" - that seemed to be a useful service to offer - and, as became clear the more we shopped, the ability to touch (not sure if "fondle" would be too strong here) the merchandise was key to the shopping experience. As was being able to express one's excitement - or is it something else, perhaps joy, at finding a particular item?
Have there been doctorial thesis written on shopping - and if not, why not? Can a correlation be drawn between your ability to enjoy shopping and your ability to enjoy life generally? Seize the ... day. And embrace the three shopping phrases!
"Oh my God ... the factory." Except words on paper does it no, I repeat, no, justice at all. It has to be paired with an excited gasp, voice pitched an octave higher than usual, and a sense of excitement so great that it courses through the bodies of those standing unsuspectingly too close. If this is the result of just hearing about the factory - what must going be like. Well, according to Shopper #3 it can have a physiological affect. She told me that her sister gets hit with such an adrenaline rush when she goes shopping that she has to visit the bathroom. This could explain why some of the stores I visited the last time I was in the US, had restrooms inside the store - which is not that common in Australia. I could only feel for her sister when I remembered Shopper #3's earlier story of shopping trips with her mother which was an "outing" - and the trip would be planned for some time ahead. If her sister also went on those trips, and she was affected by the shopping adrenaline rush even then, it must have made that hour-long trip to the store unbearable.
"That's a pretty colour.” The experienced shopper seems to set out with a good idea of what they will come with. On our expedition, the quarry was handbags, and a soccer jersey. The silk seemed to be an afterthought and may have been related to "bright and shiny" (B&S). B&S refers to anything that can be seen by the shopper - peripheral vision seems to work best - to draw them to it. Result: you are walking next to them talking - and ask them a question - and when they don't answer and you turn to face them you see that they are not there, haven't been for a while and may not even be visible in the distance in the direction from which you've come. B&S. And the items themselves don't need to be B&S although things that are seem to have a far greater pull. Like jewellery.
So if there is a big visual component in shopping - are people with visual difficulties able to enjoy the experience as much? Do the other senses take over for them. I know there was some touching and feeling with Shoppers #1, #2, and #3 but I didn't observe smelling or listening - to the merchandise - although that might just have been because it was handbags this time around.
"I am getting this". So, how is the decision to go from a handful of bags to just one or two to purchase, made? Well, that remains a black box as far as they're concerned. I can only speak from personal experience. It's like a set of scales: the item is on one side; without the item on the other. The side that's the heaviest wins. Now, I suppose there is actually more to it than this, and I might need to go off to the net for a look and to find out more about this “shopping” thing.