I consider shopping as a veritable sport because it’s fun and has many health benefits. It’s competitive and it burns calories. It makes me sweat. I feel good and look great afterwards. It can also be a team sport. But shopping can be really dangerous, especially for people who are prone to addictive behavior or who are struggling to establish their own identity. It’s sad that some people define themselves through their material possessions, but it’s no crime–we all do it sometimes. But once a person loses control over reason and her wallet, she enters into what is commonly referred to as The Dark Side.
My descent into the fiery abyss was expedited by my short-lived stint as a sales associate in a local boutique. Big mistake. I had to quit after six months. But let’s be real—for the first two months, I sold to other people. The remaining four months were dedicated to shopping for me. Lesson learned: never, EVER, put a girl with a shopping problem into her favorite store—where she gets an amazing employee discount—for eight hours a day, and then tell her she shouldn’t buy anything. Who are you f***ing kidding?? Oh, the agony of selling something you want to someone else and then watching them leave with it!! Is it bad when you talk someone out of something because you want it for yourself? Well, I did it once. Bad girl.
But I’m working on it. I’m talking to friends. I’m practicing “just saying no.” I restrict myself from purchases if I feel that I’ve been spending too freely. I’m lucky that I realize I have a problem, and that I can control myself (to an extent). I understand that “The Want” is the result of forecasting and ingenious product marketing. I understand that there are people starving in the world. I understand that having a shopping problem is a frivolous complaint during bad economic times like these. But I want, nonetheless…
Umm…. where have you been?! Let’s hang out
I miss you!