I prefer shopping by myself. I am always conscience of others, their time, interest and boredom. So, it's a distraction for me to bring another along. I like to take my time, make my decisions. I never ask another's opinion, and I especially don't want to hear "you spent that much?"
But, twice I've taken my girls (4, 7,8) into a boutique. The atmosphere felt so sacred, hushed and serious. I'm a people watcher . . . I stand back and scope out the place. So, I really appreciated when my four year old started talking to and playing with the Coach dog, feeding it some dog morsels, and trying on coach collars! Broke the atmosphere!