I'm wondering if my take on this is in the minority, but I have the impression that none of my friends would be very good for suggesting things to buy. Sure, it might work for "I want an okay table / silverware / cups" - to which the answer would be "I got this nice something at my local Target / Walmart / Ikea", but it breaks down for most things that I buy. For example - flashlights, knives, clothes, computers, pens, ink, watches, running shoes... For those, I visit the relevant forum (watchfreeks, fountainpennetwork, candlepowerforums, etc) and decide from there. Sure, on some occasions, a friend or two have already done the research, so I can get a jump-start that way - but it's an exception rather than the rule.

I'm actually quite curious whether I'm living in a bubble with my shopping trends being abnormal and atypical, or whether it's a bigger pattern. Do most people shop differently (and would benefit a lot from friends' suggestions)?