Retail Therapy: Shop Til You Drop? Could be a Big Flop!
If I'm feeling low, a little retail therapy will pick me right up again. There's something about browsing among the shelves at my favorite store, or through the pages of eBay or Amazon.com, that makes me feel very happy and relaxed.
And as long as I remember I'm on a budget and keep most of the shopping on a "window" basis, I'm all right. But oh! That can be so hard to do!
People get in trouble when they take retail therapy beyond the healthy fun it can be into the dark area of shopaholism and on into hoarding.
Purely for research purposes, watch the television show, “Hoarding: Buried Alive!” on TLC. If you suspect you might be a hoarder, this show will help you confirm your fears. And if you’re not, it’ll make you feel great about your own messy house.
It's easy to tell if you're a hoarder, by the way. If you have so much stuff that you can't put it all away -- if it's starting to form piles -- if you're forced to move through your home along little corridors you've made through the stacks of stuff -- if you're forced to move OUT of your home because you can no longer enter any of the rooms -- you may be a hoarder.
Like any addiction, excessive shopping is a matter of failing to follow the rule of moderation.
Shopaholics will spend far beyond wise limits, often purchasing things wildly outside their budgets; sometimes buying two, three or more of an item and then squirreling it away somewhere in their homes because they can't let their spouse or friends see it without fear of a lecture or outright war.
Excessive spending has ruined many people financially. They'll go to crazy extents to finance their habits, including stealing from friends and family; embezzling from home, work or charity accounts, until ultimately they are caught, exposed and humiliated.
Everyone knows they don’t need four sets of the entire collection of Star Wars Pez dispensers; four sets of the 1997 Encyclopedia Britannica; or five pairs of size 10 women’s GAP jeans, boot cut, in sunshine yellow, (in case the others wear out and they're out of stock.) They just can’t help themselves.
This is pretty much like any other addiction, from alcoholism to drug addiction to gambling to excessive thrill seeking. It's a way to avoid facing and accepting the reality of one's life by defying -- and exceeding -- the limits, often with disastrous results.
Marriages fail. Homes are broken. Jobs are lost.
So if you feel that you might take your retail therapy a bit farther than is strictly wise, than I'd advise you to do what any addict should: Avoid the temptation entirely. And think about seeing a counselor to help you stop.
Make shopping lists of what you need, and stick to them strictly. Stay off shopping sites such as eBay. And make and keep to a strict budget. Resist, resist, resist, just as you'd have to if you were trying to quit smoking, drinking or gambling.
If, however, you’re not a shopaholic and you can keep your spending to a safe and realistic limit, then have fun window shopping on various sites or in "real" stores. It's fun, relaxing and a great way to pass time with friends or by oneself.
Why is it so darned satisfying to stroll through an antique mall, picking up bits and baubles that remind one of the past? Or to try on silly hats or jewelry in a notions shop at the mall? Or to type in any old thing you can think of on the eBay browser?
I don't know. I just know I love it. Maybe it's a chick thing?
I'm all for retail therapy. I've made some great break throughs while practicing! And it's an exercise that can be practiced alone or in a group.
So grab a friend, and head to your favorite shop. You can shop til you drop, as long as you don't shop til you drop your last penny!
Happy hunting!
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