Brit women try 21,000 items of clothing in lifetime but only buy half

A new UK study has revealed that women try on more than 21,000 items of clothing in a lifetime, but actually buy only half of them.

The study of 3,000 women revealed that 84 percent admit going out 'only to window shop', but end up buying something anyway, and that one in two women regularly try clothes on at stores with no intentions of buying them.

It revealed that on average, women hit the shops four times a month and disappear into the changing rooms with ten tops, pairs of jeans, dresses or shoes on each trip.

And of the total 40 different items of clothing tried on each month, or a staggering 480 a year, only five of those them will be bought during each shopping trip.

Which amounts to 240 garments a year or 10,560 over a typical shopping lifespan of 45 years.

It also revealed that on an average one item bought on each shopping trip will never be worn and another item will be returned using the 'it didn't fit properly' excuse.

Another 40 percent of women admitted deciding they didn't like the item as soon as they arrived home.

And 85 percent of women often regret buying something when they go shopping, while the same number admitted they also regretted not buying something.

"For many women, trying on different clothes is often the best part of a shopping trip," the Daily Mail quoted Sue Beck of Lambrini, which carried out the research, as saying.

"Hours are spent in changing rooms with friends trying on weird and wonderful outfits you wouldn't ever dare wear out in public.

"It's also an excuse for some of us to try on clothes that are designer and beyond our budget," she stated.