OMAHA — Mike Galaska does not like to shop. He doesn’t like the crowds or spending money. It’s for women, he says.

But pizza and beer? He can handle that.

Galaska, 48, of Bellevue, was among the hundreds of men who came out for men’s night at Omaha jewelry store Borsheim’s this week, which uses free pizza and beer to counteract the otherwise intimidating  prospect of buying jewelry.

High-end retailers such as Borsheim’s — part of billionaire Warren Buffett’s empire — are changing the way they market themselves and their products to attract male shoppers.

Men will buy an estimated $49 billion in apparel this year, a 5 percent rise from last year, said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research company based in Port Washington, N.Y.

Men now buy 70 percent of their own clothing, up from 25 percent in 1985, so stores are doing what they can to attract these often reluctant shoppers, he said.

That is especially evident around the holidays. Stores create events tailored specifically to men or women, who are often encouraged to fill out wishlists to make shopping easier for men.

Galaska’s wife filled out her wishlist the previous week at Borsheim’s ladies’ night. All Galaska had to do this week was say her name, and clerks began to bring out what his wife wanted.

“Whatever she brings, I’m going to buy,” Galaska said of the salesclerk.

And buy he did — a silver chain necklace — before getting more pizza and beer.

On a recent weeknight, about 1,200 women filled the 45,000-square-foot Borsheim’s to drink wine and Perrier, eat pint-size pastries and fill out their holiday wishlists.

Men typically wait until the second week of December to begin their holiday shopping, which creates a strain on businesses, said Susan  Jacques, CEO of Borsheim’s.

So Borsheim’s decided several years ago to draw in those customers and create a party atmosphere, which makes it more comfortable for men, she said.

This year, men sat in leather lounge chairs and registered to win a Berkshire Hathaway Monopoly set autographed by Buffett.

“We like to give them the chance to relax, unwind, do more at the last minute and make them comfortable,” Jacques said.

This trend is found among high-end retailers because they can afford to create shopping experiences for their customers, said Jean-Pierre Dubé, a marketing professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

“A kind of store that’s competing on prices doesn’t invest on creating experience anyhow, except for creating the deal,” Dubé said.

Nestled in a leather lounge chair and watching a movie, Jim Suchy of Omaha couldn’t have been happier with his holiday shopping experience.

“This is my idea of shopping right here, watching TV, drinking beer and eating pizza,” Suchy said.

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On the Net:

Borsheim’s: http://www.borsheims.com