Christmas Creating Shopaholics

30/11/2007

Specialists are urging Christmas party shoppers to take a step back this year and evaluate their shopping habits. Some consumers – particularly young women – suffer from addiction to shopping during the Christmas party and holiday season.

Experts recommend evaluating these questions to determine if someone is addicted to shopping: Does the consumer buy something everyday? Does she find it hard to pass up an item that she wants even if she doesn’t have enough money to purchase it? Is there a clear line between items the shopper needs and items which are wanted?

Shoppers who are concerned about their shopping behaviour should consider ‘shopping abstinence’ after the Christmas party and holiday season. Take some time off from the stores and keep a weekly log of everything money is spent on.

Helen Sparrow, a writer for London Publication City AM reports: “The majority of compulsive shoppers are women, with research suggesting that the typical compulsive shopper is a woman in her early to mid 30s with a low to middle income and substantial debt. The most common purchases are clothes, shoes, make-up or jewellery and the items often remain unworn.”