Shopaholics Anonymous

Sales assistants love shopaholics, even if they are ugly, one eyed, and have stinky breath. We remember their names, sizes, colour preferences, contact details and we even wish them on their birthdays. One of my colleague has a diary with numbers of ‘devoted patrons’ which comes in very effective in stretches when the sales turn lean, and targets become tricky. With a short phone call, he lures in the compulsive shopper straight from her home to the store (well, I don’t know a male shopaholic yet!). All he needs to do now is to bring in some ‘Fresh Arrivals’ from the backroom storage to the shelves and play the perfect host to the store loyalist, a few shopping bags later, both him and the customer are happy, and so is our store manager.

Here are few pointers to discover if you are a shopaholic based on my knowledge:

• If shopping accounts for more than your food, house rent and electricity costs put together
• If you think the best place to go for a date is a mall, you could even drive your car to the mall blindfolded from your house.
• Your dreams often involve buying expensive articles of clothing. If you dream about those red stilettos on sale at the store or the black evening dress on the window display at the mall last week you’re surely a shopaholic!
• Your homepage is set to Ebay or amazon.com
• Your wardrobe could easily qualify as the national museum of fashion history, it is a blatant testimony of your impulsive indulgences over the years.
• Stepping into the footwear section gives your heart palpitations; images of stilettos, sandals and slingbacks are like porn to you. (in other words, shopping gives you multiple shopgasms!)