As I’m writing this, it’s a little past noon on Friday. Today was both PurseBlog payday and direct deposit day for some freelance work I did in December, and I spent much of the last several weeks visiting my parents, so I haven’t spent all that much money recently. I’ve got a three day weekend ahead and me, I’m in a good mood, and I’m feeling flush with cash. If I don’t buy something, I may explode. I’ve got The Shoppies.
If you’ve never heard the term before, you’ve almost certainly experienced what it describes, as The Shoppies are universal. It’s not the desire for a particular thing, or an urge to pull the trigger on something you’ve been contemplating for a while. Instead, The Shoppies are simply an impulse for purchasing as an activity; for going out into the world (or onto the internet), finding something you suddenly have to have, and making it yours.
Having The Shoppies is not necessarily a good or bad mood, and it can be influenced by either. It can occur when you want to celebrate or self-soothe, or sometimes just if you’re bored. It can coincide with a big paycheck or come at the absolute worst time. The only thing that ties these incidents together is that, somewhere deep in the reptile part of your brain, you’ve decided you need a hit of dopamine that can only be served through consumer acquisition.
I don’t know what I’m going to buy today—I’ve got my eye on a velvet Nike track jacket at the moment—but it truly doesn’t matter when you’re dealing with The Shoppies. The important part is the act itself, and usually the best you can do in the moment is try to moderate the urge by finding something that will satisfy it that doesn’t cost a fortune.
The tougher part of The Shoppies, though, is when you’re all riled up to shop and can’t find anything you want. When The Shoppies next come for you, I hope you find only abundant shopping bags.
