Are You a Shopaholic or Shopping Phobic?

I am more of a browser than a shopper. I can (and have) spent an entire day in one of our larger open air markets. You can find anything from food, clothes, "smelly" fresh fish, food to eat and almost anything you can imagine. They usually are a bit damp from the trapped humidity (the roofs are usually constructed from tarps and when they get old and holey, nobody seems to replace or repair them) and the aroma is a combination of hundreds of different products. They are always crowded and there is a lot of "Kor toot" (excuse me) from my mouth trying to squeeze through the mass of people.

 

I like one stop shopping. I go to the mall , once or twice a month, to buy health supplements and other medicines, pay electric bills, window shopping, or simply to eat .

 

I was a big shopaholic back years and years ago in my later teens, I used to buy lots and lots of clothes and I wanted to be fashion designer.

 

I can be both. To be honest, I tend to avoid going out of the house as much as possible. However when I'm in a shop, I can get a little crazy and buy too much unnecessary stuff!

 

I am a normal shopper although when I like the items, it takes time for me to choose. My husband wouldn't want to accompany me in shopping because he gets easily irritated because I would linger inside the mall's store. So many instances like that happened that's why I try to avoid going inside stores (particularly boutiques) when I am with my husband.

But I had found an antidote to my husband's grouchy attitude when I am shopping. I bought him a smart phone with a portable wifi so he can surf the internet anywhere. Now he is content to wait for me while using his smart phone.

 

I loathe and detest Supermarkets and avoid them at all cost. They are soulless, heartless and are prone to cheating by psychology. There use of 'We are here for the good of the community' has to be the biggest lie in the history of food trading as they have closed down small businesses and ruined town centres

Nothing beats the local small shops for fresh produce and good service where you are still treated like a customer

 

Something I truly dislike is when you go into a large, high street shop and the assistant says something like, "How are you today?" as if you've known them for 20 years. It's always tempting to point out that you've never met them before in your life and probably will never meet them again, but you realise that they've been told to say this sort of nonsense and you mumble, "Fine" and forget about it. Go into a local shop and the chances are that you'll know the person in there and chat away quite happily.

Rant over. On shopping, I used to love looking round bookshops and record shops, but these are increasingly scarce.

 

When I was young I didn't enjoy shopping because we were always on a tight budget and the women usually managed that chore much better than men. We bought essentials and maybe browsed a little. In later life I enjoy shopping. I don't like the big stores. I like to browse small shops. Last Saturday morning I spent an hour or so a Salvation Army store that recently has been remodeled. I bought five shirts. And nearby is an international cutlery shop, a high priced place for your kitchen and dining accessories. But they have excellent tea selections, both bagged and leaf teas and I, from time to time, spend time there, choosing new teas to try, and replenishing my tea cabinet. In my retirement years I have come to enjoy what I couldn't in my younger years. And I enjoy shopping alone.

 

I'm not someone who really goes to malls, mainly because there aren't any in my area. I do have stores that I frequently go to. I willl admit though that sometimes the crowds in the store do try my patience. Especially when I am dealing with pain which seems like a whole lot lately. I guess I am sort of somewhere between a shopoholic and a shopaphobic.

 

My husband and I went to the movies last night, we watched Terminator - Genisys. After getting the movie tickets, we had an hour to while away so I asked him if he had checked his emails and also some other things like their office websites. He said he needs to so we settled in a settee in that mini mall. And while he was focused on his smart phone, I roamed around.

When I came back before the show started, I had a paper bag containing 2 shirts and some personal effects. My husband was speechless and just giving me a questioning stare. And before he could talk, I pulled his hand to the direction of the cinema because the movie is about to begin. Neat eh?

 

Neither, I just buy what I need and stay in my budget. I like to window shop online and see what prices are as well go to shops to see what prices are. I need a laptop right now, but can't really afford one and internet connection just yet, but I shop & see what's on sale.

 

When I can, I try to do my shopping during the earlier, less crowded hours. The problem is, the grocery store opens at 7am, and the first few hours the aisles are usually blocked with stock being put away. Later, and the store becomes more crowded with shoppers.

Since I have to use a mobility scooter or a walker, navigating jammed or crowded aisles is difficult. Add to that a dangerous to cross parking lot and shopping can be quite an adventure.

My store can't seem to stand an uncluttered space. Directly inside the main entrance they placed tables of bakery goods, leaving two narrow aisles around it, making entrance and exit even more difficult. I try to avoid shopping as much as I can.

 

Neither really...altho' if anything I'm slightly 'phobic' about grocery shopping, I hate the tedium of trying to think up ideas for new meals, then walking around packed supermarket aisles .

I like to shop for clothing or furniture as long it's a quiet time...but now with online shopping so popular , it's getting harder to find any decent furniture stores selling stuff that's a little different from the norm. Most places seem to sell all similar styles and only the prices differ., and I would prefer something a little different ...also I like to see what I'm buying before I spend my money so I would prefer to shop instore .

I'm still employed so it's difficult for me to go grocery shopping during the day..and if I go early morning or late at night, it's as you say Ike...the aisles are blocked with cages and staff filling shelves...*caught between a rock and a hard place*...

 

I am neither. I shop when I have to, but I'm on such a tight budget that I don't enjoy it much. If I won the lottery, I know I would become a shopaholic real quick!