How to Man Shop

This eases the pain a little bit, anyhow.

High-End Shops Wooing Men With Pizza, Beer
By EMILY FREDRIX, Associated Press Writer
Fri Dec 16, 3:02 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. - Mike Galaska does not like to shop. He doesn't like the crowds or spending money. It's for women, he says. But pizza and beer? He can handle that.

Galaska, 48, of Bellevue, Neb., was among the hundreds of men who came out for men's night at Omaha jewelry store Borsheim's this week, which uses free pizza and beer to counteract the otherwise intimidating notion of buying jewelry.

High-end retailers such as Borsheim's — part of billionaire Warren Buffett's empire — are changing the way they market themselves and their products to attract male shoppers. Men are shopping more and can be freer with their wallets under the right circumstances, as retailers have found.

Men will buy an estimated $49 billion in apparel this year, a 5 percent rise from last year, said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research company based in Port Washington, N.Y. Men now buy 70 percent of their own clothing, up from 25 percent in 1985, so stores are doing what they can to attract these often reluctant shoppers, he said.

Galaska's wife filled out her wishlist the previous week at Borsheim's ladies' night. All Galaska had to do this week was say her name, and clerks began to bring out what his wife wanted.

"Whatever she brings, I'm going to buy," Galaska said of the salesclerk.

And buy he did — a silver chain necklace — before getting more pizza and beer.

Sales can increase as much as tenfold when a men's night is held and morale among salespeople stays high for weeks afterward, Konheim said.

"It's a very easy atmosphere for a guy to get lulled into having a good time and spending a lot of dough," he said.

Jim Suchy spent his dough at Borsheim's, after waiting outside for his fiancee during women's night. He bought her something earlier in the week, but came back just to indulge in men's night, he said.

Nestled in a leather lounge chair and watching a movie, the 62-year-old from Omaha couldn't have been happier with his holiday shopping experience.

"This is my idea of shopping right here, watching TV, drinking beer and eating pizza," Suchy said.