In our generation shopping has become so accessible to everyone and people buy some useless stuff or things they just don’t need. With social media influencers trying to get you to buy things and online shopping, compulsive shopping has gone through the roof. In a survey sent out to AHS students and staff over 50% said they are compulsive shoppers. Most people shop online because of the convenience, you find stuff you like, add it to your cart, hit purchase, then wait a couple of days and it will show up right on your doorstep. I there a chance that you are one of the many that has a shopping addiction?
Claire Comes said that she loves to shop, she goes shopping about 5 times a month. She loves to go to the Jordan Creek Mall and shop at stores such as, “Altar’d State, Scheels, Von Maur, Sephora, American Eagle, and Pink.” She said these stores are her favorite because they have useful and fun items. She enjoys shopping with others which often includes her sister and friends. Every year for back-to-school shopping she goes with her family and they shop for school supplies and get new clothes, when they get done they spend the rest of the day at a waterpark. Comes said, “I’m very much a compulsive shopper and love to get new clothes and jewelry.”
Alivia Knuth also likes to shop in person because she likes being able to hold the things she is shopping for. She likes to shop at Nike, Aerie, American Eagle, and Vera Bradley. She usually shops for clothes and shoes. Knuth’s favorite place to shop in town is Kickstart, she likes their drinks and has one almost every day because “they are so good.” She said that she is not a compulsive shopper but it depends where she is shopping. She said, “Every year after Christmas all the girls in my family go shopping.” She has a lot of fun going to stores and shopping with her family for the day.
Kenry Knudson loves to shop. He goes shopping mainly at Sephora, Ulta, and Walmart. Knudson usually goes shopping alone and goes about “one or two times a month.” He said, “Thankfully, I’m not a compulsive shopper.” otherwise he would be buying stuff all the time and be “broke.” He often enjoys thrifting but it can be hard to find “good quality” items. The last item he bought was a crewneck from New Hope in Atlantic.
Luckily compulsive shopping isn’t a really big thing among the students at AHS. This might be because we live in a small town and don’t have as easy access to as many stores as people living in bigger cities. Shopping Addictions are a very serious thing, they can be good and bad, in an article by verywellmind, they explain how shopping addictions are “a way to feel good and avoid negative feelings, such as anxiety and depression.” the scientific word for someone with a shopping addiction is called and Oniomaniac.
Here are some signs that you may have a shopping addiction:
- Always thinking about things you plan to purchase
- Being unable to stop you’re compulsive shopping
- Experiencing a rush of euphoria after you buy something
- Feeling regret or guilt about things you have purchased
- Lying about things you have bought or hiding your purchases
- Purchasing things you don’t need
- Shopping when you are stressed or sad
The questions remains, are you addicted to shopping?
