Shopping is great for what it is worth but the older you become the more your goals change with shopping and the way in which it brings about instant gratification (if at all), is remarkably different. The true shopaholic may be looking for deals, and is only content if they pay a little to get a lot, or more than really should. They are trying to get as close to wholesale prices as possible. The designer junkie is only going to want to shop at the mall or at boutiques. They may “digress” and shop at factory stores if they cannot get it any other way or cannot afford to do so, but will complain about having to have the gas to get out there; some of them are and are not shopaholic’s, and are often conflicted between combining the two together as there often isn’t any real happy medium between the two.
The conundrum is that designer stuff is perceived as being worthless if it is sold for too cheap; or on sale at all, so true shoppers may never be able to get those deals they want on designer stuff. As a teenager, the mall doubles as a social place quite the way the 7-11 has a way of doing so in suburban areas for pretty much anyone. In fact, almost any big box or national chain has a way of becoming a meeting place in areas that are more rural, less urban per-se, so the shopping experience is often different. It may consist of taking a trip to the next town or the nearest majory city; which differentiates the experience from shopping locally and creates a new emotional connection to shopping.
Many of you enjoy shopping on the Internet, which seems to have the best deals and the biggest breath of items to choose from; you can purchase obscure, unique items from designers you have never heard of (and never would otherwise), or buy the same stuff you always see (perhaps in styles that are hard to find or sizes that are difficult to come by). Most designers that do have their own sites are picky about what to offer online and go out of their way to create a unique experience for online shoppers as what is online is typically never in the retail stores, or at least not in the ones you are accustomed to going to. You may find that you prefer the selection at the designers web site as opposed to that in the electronic marketplace.
If nothing else, shopping is a sure fire way to pass the time and find some joy in getting something for nothing or at least something no one else you know has. Good times are to be had for all, until the credit card bill comes in of course …
