We know it's never easy for a man to let his wife loose with the credit card. But at least now they can be safe in the knowledge that they won't need to make her feel bad about splashing out, as a new survey has revealed that eight out of ten women will be feeling guilty upon her return.
While the lure of the shopping centre is seemingly impossible to resist, most women are regretting their spending spree within hours.
An astonishing three-quarters of respondents were already experiencing guilt before they even left the shops, though apparently they were still unable to stop.
The study of 3,000 women between the ages of 17 and 50 found that, while half were trying to spend less due to the recession, one in five were ignoring the credit crunch in favour of splashing out.
A spokesman for Skinny Cow, which carried out the survey, told the Daily Mail: "Life at the moment is full of stresses with money being right up there, but it's difficult to break the habit of a lifetime.
"Going shopping now comes with more baggage so women are trying to find creative ways to justify their spree."
While sales of expensive watches, most often bought by men, have plummeted, the figures for sales of designer handbags have soared since the beginning of the economic downturn.
And just to make the guys aware... around nine out of ten of the women surveyed confessed to using the 'this old thing?' line when asked about a new outfit.
shopping spree
