MONROE — Tony Root planted this seed: Men don’t like to shop.

By that, he means men don’t like to shop in women’s stores, much like a man doesn’t like to use his wife’s deodorant.

Root and his wife, Renae, sat inside the food court Thursday morning at the grand opening of the Cincinnati Premium Outlets.

While his wife ate a plate of chicken and fried rice, Root, of Wayne Twp., chewed on this: “This is not the place for me to come.”

So why was he here? On Opening Day, which resembled Black Friday on steroids. “She drug me out here,” he said, pointing to his smiling wife.

So do men hate shopping more than reading People magazine’s Sexiest Man of the Year issue?

Depends who you ask.

Brent Boekman, 39, of Cincinnati, was one of the first customers in line around 8 a.m. at the Nike outlet store. He was looking for a bargain, plus the free $10 gift card for early birds.

“I could always use some new shoes,” he said.

Mike Miller attended the grand opening with his girlfriend, Emily Carrozza. He called himself “an impulse buyer.”

When asked if he likes to shop, Ried Hancock, 30, of Cincinnati, shot back: “Absolutely.”

He was there for the deals, and to see the “latest fashion trends.”

Chris Norber, pushing his 10-month-old son, Jaik, in a stroller, called himself the “designated baby-sitter” during the mall’s grand opening.

“My wife is in there somewhere,” he said.

Joe Cornelius, 37, of Cincinnati, said he can “shop until he drops” if it’s the right store.

“Put me in one of those Bass Pro Shops and I’ll be there all day,” he said. “That’s what I call shopping.”

Riley’s Furniture Gallery, the only local store featured in the mall, was becoming a popular destination for men in what owner Riley Griffiths described as a “husband day care.”

“We have had some wives drop off their husbands in a chair here and say, ‘I’ll be right back. Stay here,’” he said.

Men were seen lounging in the leather recliners throughout the day, enjoying their moment of solitude, he said.

Either that or they were waiting for the shuttle bus to the hardware or sports goods store.