SEATTLE -- It should come as no surprise that when it comes to shopping, men and women have different styles.

"Women are very big on coupons and they tend to be more of the money savers," said Lisa Lee Freeman with Shop Smart magazine. "But men tend to be more into bargaining, and that's something women can learn from."

Husbands and wives, or couples often shop together in order to spend time together. But because of different expectations, this can lead to trouble.

"We found that 1 out of every 4 couples say they fight in public while they're shopping," Freeman said.

Shop Smart, which is targeted at women, says one way to keep the peace is to realize what sort of shopper he is. The magazine identified 5 different types of male shopper.

There's Mr. "Grab-and-Go."

"And he's the guy who runs into stores like he's running into a burning building," Freeman said. "He grabs whatever he needs and runs out. He might not even try anything on.

"For him, you want to have a game plan. Before you leave the house say, 'hey, we're going to spend an hour in this store or a half hour in this store to buy this or browse for this and in that way you can slow him down and shopping will be much more productive."

The "waiter and whiner" lets you know at every chance he gets that this shopping trip was not his idea.

"Ah, this is my husband," Freeman said. "And the only way to deal with a waiter and a whiner is to send him on an errand when he starts getting agitated. Send him to the food court, make sure he has his iPod with him. Look for stores that have seating. So that's a great strategy for that personality."


The "Gear Head" can't help himself when he gets around electronics.

"They have to look and touch every digital camera, even if they already own one," Freeman said. "They have to look at al the television sets. The way to deal with that person is to set a time limit and say, 'OK, you're allowed to spend 'X' amount of time in the electronic section or the electronics store and then you could go off and do your own thing during that time."

Mr. "Money-Is-No-Object" doesn't look at price tags and is highly susceptible to sales pitches and upgrades. Freeman says about as many women as men fall into this category.

"And the way to deal with this person is to agree on a budget," Freeman said. "Say, 'OK, you've got $250 or $300 to spend this month on whatever you want.' If you go beyond that limit, you have to let me know and we have to discuss it. So you have to reign him in."

And finally, there's the "Lone Wolf." He'll leave the store empty-handed rather than ask for help.

"The only way to deal with this person is to drag a sales person over and make him talk to that person," Freeman said. "Or else I would say with that type of personality to give up and let him go shopping by himself."