>Dan Freeman said something brilliant once that I totally agree with. (Have you talked to him lately, BTW? I have not heard boo from him). "I don't go shopping, I go buying." LOL

That's the crucial difference: shopping means "I'll go and see what they have, and if I find something I like, I may buy it; I'm open to persuasion". Buying, OTOH, is "I know what I want and I'm going to see whether they have it or not, and whether I like the price. I'm not interested in anything else."

Which is the difference between a consumer and a customer.