Nuts

January 31, 2013 7:39 AM

Yesterday, the Nielsen Company released a report showing that same-sex partnered households in America shop about 16% more than the average US household. Broken down into categories, Nielsen observes that gay couples drink a ton, while lesbian couples eat an awful lot of cottage cheese.
posted by schmod (63 comments total)

The cynic in me wonders how much of that is because LGBT couples, even more than heterosexual couples, A) have fewer kids because it's not as easy as "Have fun, wait nine months," and 2) are forced to work two jobs because of the lack of legal protections that might be afforded to one who chooses to be the stay-at-home half. A double-income household is (by and large) going to spend more than the "traditional" household where one person works and the other takes care of the kids or the home, just because they have more to spend.
posted by Etrigan at 7:44 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]

Yes. Double Income, No Kids.

I'm originally from Brighton, England. We have a lot of LGBT people with a lot of money for this reason.

"Same-Sex Households Have Higher-than-U.S. Average Spending Habits on Pet Care Products"

...hmm, almost like a picture is emerging here.
posted by jaduncan at 7:46 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

True, but pet spending, while not accounting for as much as spending on kid(s), is higher than average too. Wonder if there is data to show if either category has more pets, or just spends more on the same number of pets.
posted by k5.user at 7:51 AM on January 31

That gay 163% of the norm spent on dog food is very striking, yeah.

It would appear lesbians prefer cats (125%) and gay men like nuts (146%) more than the general population or lesbians.

It's like a 70's standup's dream.
posted by jaduncan at 7:58 AM on January 31 [8 favorites]

drink a ton

Spending a ton on drinks is not the same as drinking a ton.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:59 AM on January 31 [15 favorites]

Spending a ton on drinks is not the same as drinking a ton.

Amen! I spend way more and drink way less than I did in college!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 8:01 AM on January 31 [12 favorites]

Amen! I spend way more and drink way less than I did in college!

Yup, quality goes up, quantity comes down.
posted by microm3gas at 8:03 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

Spending a ton on drinks is not the same as drinking a ton.

I take my vodka in the form of aerosol spray. Or hand paint.
posted by kmz at 8:10 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]

Spending a ton on drinks is not the same as drinking a ton.

Right. It might be spent on better booze, or simply maintaining a well stocked bar for guests.


A better stocked bar.



The best, coolest, most well designed bar where you can invent amazing delicious drinks. With themes.


I think I know who might be responsible for the high booze purchase index.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:11 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]

It's too bad the excerpt didn't include spending below the average for hetero marrieds.

Comparision to hetero DINKs would have been interesting, too.

I'll have to point out this tidbit to my wife, who works for a food company: male/male households spend a lot on "refrigerated meal starters" (third on the list at 73% more than the average). Opportunity!
posted by notyou at 8:13 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

I also did some math and it turns out that Mr. Mustachio and I are probably gay*.


I should probably wait until he comes home from work to inform him of this.




*Numbers have included this study along with the number of viewings of Cazwell videos and ensuing dance parties.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:19 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]

I take my vodka in the form of aerosol spray. Or hand paint.

Or a whiskey infused lotion?
posted by Talez at 8:19 AM on January 31 [6 favorites]

Comparision to hetero DINKs would have been interesting, too.

They're a bit larger.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:23 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

What's a penile?
posted by goethean at 8:30 AM on January 31

Twenty bucks, same as in town.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:38 AM on January 31 [9 favorites]

Possibly a bit more if your gay.
posted by marienbad at 8:45 AM on January 31

I'm so surprised: households with two men spend more on men's toiletries.
posted by jb at 8:53 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

A small selection of our booze collection. Are we atypical for lesbians?

And it's funny, but I was just thinking this morning that I should've stopped by the store last night for more cottage cheese.
posted by rtha at 8:58 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

I consume sour cream like a lesbian.
posted by Kabanos at 9:00 AM on January 31

What's with the cottage cheese?
Perpetual dieting?
posted by de at 9:03 AM on January 31

Are poorer LGBT people less likely to be out?
posted by scottatdrake at 9:05 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]

gay couples drink a ton

My wife isn't going to like to hear this.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:07 AM on January 31

That whooshing sound you just heard is me coming into this thread ready to tell people not to generalize based on Nielsen reports and then realizing the male/male buy rate purchase categories looks like the categories we could use on Mint if we ever broke down our shopping into finer categories, so I don't really have a gay leg to stand on.

But, since somebody asked:

Are poorer LGBT people less likely to be out?

Yes. (Anecdotal evidence only)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:08 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]

The cottage cheese incident reminded me of an incident described on pages 7 and 8 of this report from the DOD.

The press jumped to conclusions, and things got out of hand. Go figure. Being on a nuclear submarine does NOT make you crave cottage cheese.
posted by MikeWarot at 9:22 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]

I want to hang out with rtha. That level rye is delicious. If you like that, I also recommend the Redemption High-Rye bourbon. (and I say all of that though I'm more of a whisky guy)

I suspect my (hetero) wife and I would display similar results, although our spending is diminishing in a lot of these areas since we have a baby on the way. I agree with those above who said it is probably more reflective of DINKs.
posted by staccato signals of constant information at 9:23 AM on January 31

Yeah. I could have phrased the bit on alcohol a bit better in the OP. Sorry about that.

Also, FWIW, my lesbian roommates can each individually drink both my boyfriend and I under the table, and they'll do it with (far) classier booze than I'm ever willing to shell out for.

On the other hand, we do buy an awful lot of refrigerated meal starters. Frickin' Trader Joe's, man...
posted by schmod at 9:25 AM on January 31

So to boost the economy, more people should be gay.
posted by WalkingAround at 9:26 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]

What is a "refrigerated meal starter"?
posted by jb at 9:30 AM on January 31 [6 favorites]

Twenty bucks, same as in town.
posted by Etrigan at 9:36 AM on January 31 [7 favorites]

Theory: Threads with male/male content will have a "Twenty bucks, same as in town" index of at least 144.

(I am totally fine with this if it is true.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:46 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

(rtha, you appear to be out of Campari)
posted by en forme de poire at 9:59 AM on January 31

If you like that, I also recommend the Redemption High-Rye bourbon

I was going to say we have that, but then I looked it up and I'm pretty sure we don't! I will add it to the list.

re Campari - I think there's a nearly full bottle at the back of the liquor cabinet, and I know we have a partial bottle of the similar Aperto, so we're covered there. And our friends who live downstairs (a lesbian couple) also have an excellent liquor and liqueur collection, and we have a key to their flat. We don't borrow cups of sugar from one another - more like "Do you guys have any yellow Chartreuse we can borrow?"
posted by rtha at 10:06 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

What is a "refrigerated meal starter"?

Think Rice-a-Roni but in the dairy or deli case. Entrees or sides that are partially pre-prepared and fill the space between frozen dinners and home made.

Trader Joe's sells scads of 'em: fresh stuffed pasta minus sauce, marinated flank steak, ready-made salads, tofu-based "taco crmbles", etc.

They sell lots more in the frozen aisle.

Speaking of rye: it's hard to beat Rittenhouse at less than $25 a bottle.
posted by notyou at 10:09 AM on January 31

One of the things that's important but missing from this report is that LGBT people tend to be poorer than straights on average, with higher health care (including mental health care) costs. There's a real danger in the repeated consumer stereotype of gays as free-wheeling shopaholics, because it diminishes the experience of the majority of LGBT people, who are more likely to be struggling and in unstable employment and housing situations than the hets.

Taking this survey as representative of the LGBT economic experience is like seeing Friends as a documentary on New York apartment living.
posted by klangklangston at 10:17 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]

Thanks - I was wondering if it was some fancy industry word for appetizers (starting the meal), but then I was wondering: who has appetizers on a regular basis?
posted by jb at 10:17 AM on January 31

(Rtha— The Leopold Brothers Maryland-style Rye is the best shit I've had in a long time, and is worth the Scotch-like prices. Just as a whiskey tip. But it's way too good to mix into Manhattans.)
posted by klangklangston at 10:18 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

"Speaking of rye: it's hard to beat Rittenhouse at less than $25 a bottle."

Old Overholt is generally as good for five to ten bucks less. (Still bummed that the Superking near us finally stopped selling Bulliet Rye for $12 a fifth. It was an unbelievable bargain.)
posted by klangklangston at 10:19 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

I'm not showing this thread to my (lesbian) partner. She'll take one look at rtha's photo and take off to join that household, leaving me with just all that cottage cheese. Damn it.
posted by houseofdanie at 10:24 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

So to boost the economy, more people should be gay.

I'll set the recruitment tents with fine mixed drinks and sensible cottage cheese salads.
posted by The Whelk at 10:29 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]

"Do you guys have any yellow Chartreuse we can borrow?"

All I have is green and you're on the wrong side of the country ;(.
posted by The Whelk at 10:30 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

who has appetizers on a regular basis?

fine mixed drinks and sensible cottage cheese salads.


The longer this thread goes on, the more my eating habits at home feel like I'm the world's biggest stereotype.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:37 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

Wow, a generation ago, we recruited with toasters. We've come such a long way. Shniffle.
posted by houseofdanie at 10:39 AM on January 31

These "frozen novelties" – they vibrate?
posted by Kabanos at 10:46 AM on January 31

surprised I don't see a spike in sales for "VHS HEAD CLEANER FLUID" in there.
posted by The Whelk at 10:50 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]

Honey, I've got something to tell you. I'm afraid I like expensive liquor, expensive coffee, and nuts, so, while I know it seems that our marriage has been fine, it looks like I'm gay and there's no going back. As consolation please enjoy these dairy snacks and frozen noventies I got you.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:51 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]

I'm not showing this thread to my (lesbian) partner. She'll take one look at rtha's photo and take off to join that household, leaving me with just all that cottage cheese. Damn it.

Y'all should've seen the whisk(e)y meetup local mefites had a while back.
posted by rtha at 11:24 AM on January 31

surprised I don't see a spike in sales for "VHS HEAD CLEANER FLUID" in there.

That's because nobody buys that stuff. It's just that those little bottles just always seem to show up somewhere, somehow, multiplying somehow. They're like fucking Gremlins.

(Don't feed after midnight or use them under bright lights either.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:25 AM on January 31

Nielsen observes that gay couples drink a ton are made of men, while lesbian couples eat an awful lot of cottage cheese are made of women.

I seem to be in a mood today.
posted by PsychoTherapist at 11:38 AM on January 31

I was going to make a joke about refrigerator starter meals then I realized I have like a pound of Israeli Salad tat I got from the deli in my fridge that I'm probably just going to serve with a breaded cutlet if I can summon up the energy and not just eat the whole thing out of the container like the world's most health conscious slob.

Sigh, we're all horrible stereotypes.
posted by The Whelk at 11:45 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]

rtha, that sounds like basically a perfect living situation. (Negronis for everyone if I ever move out West)
posted by en forme de poire at 12:17 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]

A small selection of our booze collection. Are we atypical for lesbians?

...I have more booze than that and I'm straight. And female. And single.

I'm not sure what to think.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:47 PM on January 31

So to boost the economy, more people should be gay.

Why do you think Obama is going to force all of us to get gay-married? It's not radical social engineering, it's a stimulus plan!
posted by Rangeboy at 1:29 PM on January 31 [2 favorites]

it's a stimulus plan!

heh

(i'm so sorry)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:35 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]

...I have more booze than that and I'm straight. And female. And single.

Oh we have way more than is pictured. We don't drink much, and have the appalling habit of running into BevMo because we're out of just this one thing....and emerging with ALL the things. You come visit and help us drink it down!
posted by rtha at 2:04 PM on January 31 [2 favorites]

What's with the cottage cheese?


Cottage cheese is delicious, and lesbians enjoy eating delicious foods.


Perhaps they also enjoy foods that can be furtively shoveled into one's mouth while hunkered in front of the refrigerator at three in the morning WHICH I TOTALLY NEVER DO.
posted by louche mustachio at 4:06 PM on January 31

My partner and I make way too many trips to the grocery store. It's not because we have spending power, it's because we're poor planners and we both kind of have a grocery store fetish. We're pretty boring, as far as lesbian fetishes go.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:29 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]

I only eat unsalted cottage cheese, but I do buy and eat a lot of it. Does that make me a lesbian's lesbian?
posted by Nomyte at 5:44 PM on January 31

Apart from the liquor/wine category, my partner and I don't shop very gay.

We don't buy meal starters, deodorizers, or nuts...ever.

And are 'frozen novelties' different from ice cream? Because if so, we don't buy those either.

I'd love to see the 'least purchased' product categories.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:11 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]

We don't buy meal starters, deodorizers, or nuts...ever.

I suspect the selling of poppers as deoderizers accounts for some of that particular bump.

I'd love to see the 'least purchased' product categories.

Republican Party merchandise.
posted by jaduncan at 4:13 AM on February 1

I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing same sex male couples with no dependents don't buy a lot of tampons.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:23 AM on February 1

I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing same sex male couples with no dependents don't buy a lot of tampons.

You... don't want to know.
posted by Etrigan at 6:44 AM on February 1 [1 favorite]

You... don't want to know.

You're probably right.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 7:11 AM on February 1

The Whelk: " "Do you guys have any yellow Chartreuse we can borrow?"

All I have is green and you're on the wrong side of the country ;(."

You should really come visit more often, The Whelk.
posted by gingerbeer at 8:59 PM on February 1