Surrogate boyfriends for girl shoppers

A "his-and-her's" day out shopping

Men hate shopping, a survey of 18 to 24-year-old men has confirmed.

So a Scottish shopping centre has set out to attract their girlfriends by offering "surrogate boyfriends" who will accompany the ladies during their spending spree.

The surrogates have vowed to admire and compliment the lady shoppers, to be enthusiastic and attentive.

In a related bid to mollify the potentially jealous, young men, the centre has set up a men-only "recharge zone" where the grown-up boys can stay and play video games and table football or read men's magazines.

The two-day-long pilot scheme was devised after an NOP Research survey revealed that a quarter of British men between the ages of 18 and 24 "would rather have lunch with their grandmother than go shopping with their girlfriends".

More than half the 800 men questioned said shopping was a major cause of conflict in their relationships.

The survey also revealed that "shopping" is one of the words men fear the most.

But even shopping could not provoke as much fear as the word "babies".