(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) During a recent visit to Dubai with plenty of time in hand before suhoor Ale al Zadjali found himself peeking into stores of a mall. The Ramadan offers only lured him further.
Before the young Omani fashion designer realised his store-hopping spree had burned a deep hole in his pocket forcing him to travel back to Muscat with little cash on him.
Halima al Abdul Salam an entrepreneur and blogger has a similar story to tell. She stepped into a cosmetics store to buy a BB cream - priced at around RO20 - but when she got out an hour later she had bought herself beauty products worth RO300.
'That was crazy' admits Halima. But she can't help the habit. 'If I love something I just pick it up.'
With never-ending sales and offers and buyers spoilt for choice - in malls and on the Internet - compulsive shopping appears to be only growing. Shoppers often end up spending their money recklessly or buying too much of everything.
Fashion blogger lifestyle writer and stylist Sonu Bohra believes that vulnerable shoppers just need a small trigger to go into an overdrive. Sonu who doesn't shy away from calling herself a shopaholic remembers how after buying an eye cream at 4U in Qurum City Centre recently she was told that she'd get a voucher of RO10 if she spent RO2 more.
'Instead of buying something small I ended up spending RO30 extra. The offer only accelerated my buying' she recalls.
Zadjali agrees. He feels that sales and discounts are the worst things to happen to compulsive shoppers like him. 'For some reason the reduction on the price tag just works for me. I am aware of the trick yet I fall for it' says Zadjali.
If that's not bad enough online stores keep inundating buyers with latest offers and collections via e-mails and mobile messages. 'Because of online stores shopping is now a weekly routine for me. When shopping is at the tip of your fingers the temptation increases. Online shopping doesn't involve the hassles of visiting a mall. Also most deliveries happen within a week so it becomes easier for the buyer to choose this option' says Namrata Sheshadri a banker in Muscat.
Online stores also track their customer's preferences based on their previous purchases. 'That's quite a smart move on their part because then they keep updating you with promotional offers based on your interests' she says.
Due to buyers' impulsive and out-of-control behaviour health professionals often equate shopping addiction with eating disorders and other addictive tendencies.
Sonu admits that shopping can spiral into a problem if unchecked. 'Believe me I have tried very hard to avoid shopping. When I do that I feel extremely poor. It's like I am depriving myself of something. And though my wardrobe is spilling out I just can't stop' rues Sonu.
Zadjali who loves hoarding shirts and tees says malls are his weakness. 'I could be going to a mall to catch up with a friend over coffee but I still end up at a store and literally shop till I drop' he says.
'Shopping is okay till you can afford it. But if you can't afford something and you still shop it is a problem. You have to have some amount of control over your money and also be respectable towards your buy' he says.
Zadjali and Sonu go on self-imposed shopping bans every now and then. 'Last year I didn't shop for over four months. And since I don't like repeating my clothes it wasn't very easy for me. But what I learnt was that I could experiment with my outfits and mix and match to look different each day. The shopping detox actually made me creative' Zadjali says.
'Even when you go to buy something at a store spend an extra five minutes in the trial room looking at yourself from all angles and debating whether you really need those outfits. I have noticed that it works' says Sonu. She also advices taking along a friend who could help you reason out your buy.
Namrata suggests blocking e-mail and phone notifications from online stores and retail outlets. 'That's one way to avoid the temptation' she says.
When Halima knows she is overdoing her shopping she leaves her debit/credit cards at home and carries only enough cash as needed. 'I tend to buy things off the shelf without checking the price' says Halima. So leaving behind the cards helps her keep a tab on what she spends on and how much.
There's a fine line between a generous shopper an impulsive one and a sensible shopper says Sonu. 'Ultimately it is all about self-control.'
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.