Sex is mandatory in a relationship to me...it's quite important.
...and yes, some women go to strip clubs, but those establishments are primarily geared toward men (because men are more visual). Yes, women watch porn (I have a small collection of my own), but again it attracts men more due to the visual. Women read steamy novels with explicit sex scenes moreso than men...we can imagine whatever faces and bodies are on those people that we desire (it's porn of the mind).
Men can go as long as women without sex...anyone can. It's a desire, not a need. Nobody dies from not having sex. Some people simply choose not to go without for long, and others choose to be more particular about who they share their body with.
So you met a woman who didn't put sex very high on her priority list if she compared it to men's desire for shopping. Rest assured, there are MANY of us that put it up there with our own desire for shopping (or higher). ☺♥☻ I'd much rather spend the afternoon in bed with my lover, than go buy a new pair of shoes (and I love shoes)