Compulsive Shoppers

Total words: 1156
It's happening again. Your attention's diverted; you glance over, then glance back. You close your eyes heavily, quickly shaking your head. "Stop it!" you say to yourself. And you do, but only for a moment. Looking down at your palms, they become glazed with trickles of perspiration. You can also feel the sweat bead through your toes in your sandals, and your knees buckle but for a moment. Tension levels are rising, the heart beats faster, the air becomes heavier, you're gasping for air. "There's only so much I can take," you tell yourself. Indeed, there is. You take a seat, reach down to your pocket, and take out your . . . wallet.

What were you expecting, a puffer? Well, while asthma is still a prevalent and serious problem, another serious problem has been around Canada for just as long: compulsive shopping.

Compulsive shopping, if you think about it, is sort of a hilarious term. I mean seriously, we probably have two different types of shoppers in this room right now. You may be one of those shrewd pickles, who shudders at the mere thought of Christmas and birthdays, let alone going out to shop for fun. Or, you may be a Paris Hilton, whose lust for platinum limitless American Expresses and Louis Vuitton bags gave rise to the notion of a black hole.

Naw just kidding, I doubt any of us here are punkish enough to shaft our friends on birthdays and parents on Christmas morning, nor are we princess enough to blow 6,000 bucks on a bag that could conceivably be purchased on the streets of China for 10 dollars. Most of us probably fall into that happy medium of shoppers whose plastic actually has a limit and lust for materialism actually has a cap.

But you know, impulse shopping can hit anyone at anytime. It's a topic that, in our society, is frequently overlooked as a problem and can often be at the butt end of a joke. In actuality, it can be an issue that can not only debilitate people financially, but if pursued far enough, mentally and emotionally as well.

There is such thing as a compulsive shopping disorder, and is often referred to as oniomania. About 2-8% of the Canadian population is described as oniomaniacs, and the disorder is characterized by an intense drive to shop and buy unneeded items. Women oniomaniacs tend to indulge on makeup and clothing, while men tend to splurge on tools and electronics. And yes, the stereotype does hold true: there are more women oniomaniacs than there are men. But fear not ladies, because men oniomaniacs, on average, are more apt to buy that expensive plasma TV or car.

The results of being an oniomaniac can have real effects, and has often been at the forefront of ruined lives. Doctors who study this obsessive shopping disorder are often surprised by its effects. They find that many marriages have ended, and some businesses have even been forced into bankruptcy, due to oniomania.

Societal and cultural influence also have quite a bit of say in influencing these people. For instance, plastic is incredibly easy to get. Not only do companies like Visa, MasterCard and American Express have websites designed to specifically cater to students' needs, you've all probably seen these companies' booths set up on campus, giving you mugs, frisbees, and the like, just for signing those application forms.

And because of our general lack of fixed incomes, we're often encouraged by friends and help-groups to limit credit card purchases to emergency situations. However, of surveyed students who use their credit card for multiple purposes, only 13% are able to refrain from using it frivolously. Students seem to think pizza seems to be a fun thing to put on that credit card bill.

As well, let's not forget those media-created demands. It seems like that emphasis on outward appearance and the need to spend money to achieve happiness has made shopping an extremely high demand institution. You turn on the tube, and you see flashy commercials featuring handsome men and beautiful women hawking the latest in trends.

Also, there are many more mediums recently created to satiate that sweet wallet. Now, you can even gratify your shopping needs online or through those 24-hour shopping networks. Seriously, how often have you been typing up your speech essay, only to find yourself drifting to ebay? I, admittedly did, while writing this.

Shop-a-holics often, unknowingly, find themselves in a perpetual cycle. Here's how it works. Maybe you're experiencing depression, boredom, or emotional distress. Consequently, these feelings may set off those impulses to shop. Why? Cause shopping provides you with a sort-of euphoric state of being "high". In your bored, down state, you may all of a sudden see a wicked ad for a product, and think that by purchasing it, your feelings of power, attractiveness, and security will heighten. But then, after buying the thing, you feel a bit of a letdown, followed by the guilt of unnecessarily spending money. So, you feel depressed again. And, the cycle repeats itself.

There are so many ways to lose yourself in compulsive shopping. Yet, with any addiction, there's ways out. One way is to keep on hand a strict shopping list that is easy to adhere to. For instance, the next time you go grocery shopping, do yourself a favour and write yourself a set list of items you want to buy. However, make sure to mark down a couple of goodies that you particularly love; this will help ensure that indulgence gap is filled.

Another way is to alleviate that boredom with something other than shopping. Again, quite often we feel the impulse to shop when we are going through bouts of tedium and dreariness. So, it's important to find something that will successfully take that time off your hands. Go read, hang out with friends. I'm sure you can all think of even more.

Another way is to have a budget on extravagant expenses. Keep the length short and manageable - perhaps make your budget just for the month. Also, again leave yourself an armlength for purchases you may want to make. One way I personally like to do it, is to divert a large portion of my budget away from items I may hold in less regard, like fashion, and apportion the savings to something I truly like, like electronics.

Finally, understand that again, psychologically, compulsive shopping will in actuality not make you happier. Having 50 boxes of untouched shoes in your closet really doesn't do anyone much good.

Compulsive shopping is an attractive and underestimated lure whose ramifications can be anything from an unusually large monthly credit card bill, to a marriage breakup. It's important to understand that anyone can fall into this pit. But, hopefully with these tips of budgeting, keeping lists when you do go shopping, and being happy with whatever you have, you will be able to avoid the temptations of going on that spur-of-the-moment spending spree.

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