Trader said:
First off, we are not talking about meeting up as acquiantances or hang outs, the subject is DATING, stick to the subject chump.
On a first date, you ARE acquaintances. You barely even know her. You don't know if you're into her and you don't know if she's into you. The purpose of the first date is to find out.
How is paying $7 for a movie ticket *buying sh*t for her*? Oh yes she really did use you now, she got a free ticket to Spiderman 3, look at her golddigging skills. How is paying $10 for a meal at an Italian restaurant *buying sh*t for her*? Well, she did milk you for some free linguine, and she's going to brag to all her friends that she got free oregano on the side.
Or you could just get her over to your house and onto your couch for free. There is more chance for escalation too. In a movie theater, you just have to sit quietly while a loud movie plays. In a restaurant you have to sit across from her in a public place. There is very little opportunity for serious escalation.
If she truly wants you, she'll jump your bones for free. Whether or not you treat her to dinner makes absolutely no difference. Buying her things is not going to make you anymore attractive, unless she's a gold digger. But in that case, she'd already be turned on by your status and you can be damn sure she'd know how to size up your wealth.
Would you buy dinner and movie tickets for a guy friend you just met? Probably not. By treating a girl like this, you are immediately placing her on a pedestal. The implication is that she is doing you a favor by agreeing to hang out with you.
The reason you pay is because you were the one who set up the outing, you planned the time to take her out, you were the one who drove and picked her up, and you picked the venue. Since you did all of these things, the natural continuation of this is that you pay.
You are doing as much a favor to her as she is doing for you. You want the pleasure (hopefully) of her company but she is also receiving the pleasure of yours.
You don't need to pick her up these days either. You can just tell her to come over to your place (unless she doesn't have a car) or you can drive over to hers. Or you can just both meet somewhere.
By all means, pay for the girl AFTER you have established some sort of romantic/sexual relationship. But if the purpose is to just get to know a girl to see if you like her not, why not just do it for free?
We're not in the 1950s anymore. Women have jobs and cars. Hell, women are earning more college degrees than men these days. Buying her dinner or movie tickets etc. are not going to increase your chances of getting laid, so why bother?