Financial Times

Forgive me for this, but I think that if you got 100 men in a room and asked them to raise their hands if they liked shopping, those that did would be in the vast minority. That's not to say men don’t shop, they just aren’t that keen (and before the letters start I know there are those out there who do enjoy it and those in denial, but …).

For women, shopping is just about an art form, and why not. There are more shops and sections in department stores aimed at women, so why shouldn’t they make the most of it; but to drag their loved ones along for the experience, hmm, I’m not too sure about that. But then I saw something the other day that changed my mind: comfy chairs in a designer shop that was dedicated to the fairer sex. Now this was good business sense.Three of my fellow colleagues wanted to pop in to Mondy, the fashion store, to have a look around and maybe buy something. As I'd never been (and thinking it had guy's stuff too) I followed. The clothes and the accessories were fine, but obviously not my “thing”, so I wandered off upstairs to see if there was anything, but no – except the armchairs.

When the ladies joined me I casually mentioned that they were there for bored husbands and boyfriends. This got a laugh, but it was no laughing matter for the three rather glum-looking guys using the facilities at the time. But they were comfortable, and if they'd brought a magazine or something, perfect: then more time for the women to browse you see, good business sense.

As my co-workers were clearly very happy looking around, I decided to leave, but it got me thinking.

Once back in the office I mentioned my observance and a conversation started. It seemed Mondy was not alone. I was going to do a little exploring.

Coming from Europe, if you went into a department store or shopping mall, the only places to sit were either really uncomfortable or in a café-type area where you were expected to spend money. But here we had comfortable armchairs to relax in while our partners did the walking.

A couple of days later I visited Mondy again, but first I popped into Odel (again my first visit). And yes, there were those comfy chairs to be found, as well as more hardcore ones, but with great design but they were there. But did the staff know the true reason for them? For this I hit the Ladies Select area and had a chat with Sumathi, and I didn't have to prompt.

"They are for husbands and wives to sit on,” she said. (OK, maybe I then raised an eyebrow.) Sumathi then clarified a bit more: “But mostly it's the husbands or boyfriends while their other halves look around. The chairs are comfortable and we supply magazines to read,” she said.

The magazines were women's ones though, but as Sarath Dissanayake, an Odel manager, said, “A lot of men like to read women's magazines.” I tried not to blush.

He added that it wasn't just for the bored men but also for bored kids with their parents too, and the other way around.

What was interesting, I thought, was that in the changing area there is a couch outside five cubicles. The reason, I asked? “If a guy is buying an outfit for his girlfriend, say, he wants to make sure it looks good on her before he parts with his money, plus there could be a number of outfits to try on, so comfort is important,” Mr. Dissanayake said. The area had a door for that extra privacy.

Next I noticed a chair or two in the book/magazine area, and there was Shamala, a supervisor, to answer the question. “The chairs were there so that people could browse through the books they were thinking of buying,” but she did admit that it was predominantly men that did the reading, leaving the women to do the shopping. Brilliant.Then it was back to Mondy, where I got talking to Keerthi Silva, the manager. He said that when it came to looking for an atmosphere for the designer shop, relaxation was an important part so people could take their time before deciding what they wanted to buy. “It's also a bit psychological, as I think guys wouldn't come with their wives/girlfriends if the armchairs weren't there. So it works for everyone. Plus I've seen men getting to know one other as their other halves shop,” Mr. Silva said.

Now maybe I'm out of sync here, but I think armchairs should be compulsory; but remember guys, if you're not into Cosmopolitan, Vogue or the guy sitting opposite you, bring your own reading material.