You’re on every email list. You know every available promo code. You’ve searched the same top on four different websites in attempt to find the best deal. You watch the “new arrivals” and “recently added to sale” categories like a hawk. You’ve sold half of your closet to justify buying new clothes for every season. Your “favorites” tab on your computer is mostly comprised of online stores. Let’s face it, there’s an online shopaholic in all of us.
AA teaches people that in order to begin the recovery process, one must acknowledge their problem and all that it entails. So begins our confession.
The 10 struggles of every online shopaholic:
1. That moment when you log into your email account to see your inbox filled with thousands of unread emails, only to realize 98% of them are from online stores.
2. Speaking of email accounts, you’ve created ten different email accounts for those particular websites with deals like “50% off when you create an account!”. It’s nearly a requirement at that point. Not to name names or anything but… (Tobi)
3. When there’s a flash sale of some sort and you can’t help but add six items to cart, telling yourself you’ll go back and eliminate some later. Only to return to that website with all six items still in the cart an hour later.
4. Seeing your friends out and knowing exactly where each piece of clothing they’re wearing is from, as you’ve seen them all online before. Some may even be in your cart.
5. Not only are you haunted with sales and promotions by email, but they stalk your Instagram and Facebook feeds too. That Free People top you loved but told yourself was too expensive and you’d wait to buy until it went on sale, boom. Right on your Instagram. It’s not your fault you bought it. It’s harassment.
6. Similarly to a blackout due to inebriation, you enter a shopping blackout. When you’re so enthralled with the dresses and rompers you’re scrolling past that you ignore all outside influences. When you finally come to your senses and look at a clock, you realize you’ve been online shopping for an unhealthy amount of time. It happens to the best of us.
7. That moment of dread you face when you realize shipping was nearly half as expensive as the items you bought. Might as well overnight it for that price.
8. Knowing that you need to save what little money you have yet you continue to online shop out of pure boredom. And maybe curiosity. You’re merely conducting retail research, right?
9. Obsessively tracking each ordered item. Up to the very hour of its expected delivery.
10. That moment of satisfaction after having a successful online shopping venture. Sweet victory.
Happy shopping.