http://www.excite.co.uk/news/story/UKOnlineReportOddlyEnough/IDSFFH73749_2001-
11-08_17-56-43_GRI864964

Surrogate boyfriends rescue men from shopping

LONDON (Reuters) - Shopping-phobic men have been given an early Christmas
present by a Scottish retail centre which is providing surrogate boyfriends to
accompany female customers around the shops.
The Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow is trialing a scheme which lets women
drop off their recalcitrant partners at a kind of boyfriend creche and borrow
a fresh new shopping-friendly specimen for a few hours.

"The Shopping Boyfriend is the ultimate retail therapist: enthusiastic,
attentive, admiring and complimentary," said Carol-Ann Stewart from drinks
company Lucozade Energy, which is behind the pilot scheme.

"He will browse with the girlfriend for hours on end. He'll even say her bum
looks small."

Stewart said an NOP poll showed "shopping" was one of the most dreaded words
for young British men - coming just behind "babies".

Freed from the rigours of shopping with their loved ones, the men can relax
with video games and