I remember in my late teens, when I first became aware of this, so would be late sixties, so by 2000 I stopped noticing, the phenomenon of the Saturday afternoon shoppers, this would be in M&S, C&A, clothes shops
anyway, I would think of these couples as being older, the woman hesitatingly plucks at an Item of clothing, asks the husband, who looks as though he couldn’t care less, ‘do you like this?’ husband responds with irritation, ‘if you like it, get it !’ wife continues to look unsure.
Husband pays. Husband has cheque book, cash, wife has residue of her meagre Housekeeping in her foldover purse, not enough even for a running away fund.
This is not a new thing.
I experienced something similar in M&S food Ilkley two years ago, an older couple, late 70’s perhaps, well dressed. Wife at check out been handed a bankcard, by bored husband waiting presumably in HIS car, wife opens complicated purse, takes out a grubby fold of paper with her pin number, proceeds to type in number, which is incorrect, asked to do it again, same result, wife panics is in a flap, holding everyone up, husband appears, wlks unbidden to the pin machine, types in number.
Wife says, how come it works for you and not me ?
Well love everyone else in this queue could work it out why can’t you?
The young wife with pushchair, baby, children, also dependent upon the male
approval, the right of veto which she accepts.
This is not a new thing, economic reliance, as in the one who holds the purse strings holds the power
Those of you exclaiming have hopefully never experienced this life limitation and been oblivious to others who have/are.