Indulge with me, just for a moment. You have just flown open the door to your house. On each arm, there are three bags, all of different colors and shapes, rubbing into your elbow crease. Some droplets of sweat have accumulated along your hairline, but they are miniscule to you now. In one hand, a half drunk cappuccino, in the other, some fresh flowers, perhaps. Just something you grabbed while you were out! There is a slight ache in the arch of your feet, but that’s how you know that good work was completed. You slump onto the couch, the bags filled with treasure falling down with you. And then, you just sit, basking in the endorphins that were released over the past three hours. Finally, you sit up, and one by one take apart the careful wrapping that the salespeople crafted, so you can look at all of your new pieces to add to your collection. Now wasn’t that wonderful? There really is nothing quite like the feeling of getting home after treating yourself to a day of shopping. Accomplishment, excitement, giddiness, and sweet fatigue are all words that come to mind.
I bring this up because I would like to ask what on earth happened to shopping out in the real world?! It feels like I am the only person who does it anymore. It is a scary scary feeling to walk into a boutique and it is just you and the overly nice woman standing behind the cash register. Even when I tell people that I am going to the dentist when I am actually taking my once a year trip to Brandy Mellville (sue me!), there aren’t any fourteen-year-olds scampering around the store in leggings! Now THAT’S messed up. In-person shopping is by far the way to go and I am here to tell you why. Firstly, I know everyone talks about the immediate gratification of pressing the order button when shopping online, but have you ever experienced the rush of a total stranger running your plastic through a card reader? Talk about a high. What makes it even better is when you know that the salesperson is running your card for something that you know fits you, or that you can at least get tailored later. There’s no moment in your bedroom, when you’re trying on a bathing suit from Shop Bop, and you scream and maybe even punch the mirror because your butt is too small for it. In person, you get to curate your own little pile of clothes that you get to lug around the store as you browse (truly the only reason I have an arm muscle at all) and then bring it all to the dressing room and have a little fashion show! And don’t even get me started on dressing rooms. When they are done right, you can feel like the most important person in the world. The right salesperson can do the trick too. It is a real art to know when to tell someone not to buy something and when to tell them that a piece of clothing was made for them and they would be an absolute idiot not to buy it. Some of my favorite people on this earth are the ones who have made me feel like a million doll hairs in a dress that is way out of my budget. And while you’re out, you may as well purchase a coffee! Trust me, there is nothing quite like holding a to-go coffee cup with a trace of your lip gloss around the drink hole. It’s all a part of the experience. And then getting home. You know how good that feels because I just walked you through it! Seeing all of your purchases wrapped in their own unique get-up is all a part of it. I would much rather have a box with brown and white stripes with a bow a la Bendel’s than some lousy cardboard package holding my clothes.
I believe that this happened because we can no longer access our inner shoe diva. Where did she go? Where are our girls in five inch heels clutching a martini? Where is our girl in the green scarf? No one is indulging themselves anymore and trying to live out the 13 Going on 30 lifestyle that I thought everyone wanted to achieve as an adult. Not to be a hater or anything, but this dark academia, east coast elite, Gilmore Girls, Mac DeMarco, Carharts aesthetic is not doing the trick for me. Why does no one care about maximalism anymore? Is everyone just too depressed? I feel that this pandemic – yes I am using that word – is because everyone moved online during Covid. But Covid is over, babes! We can go out now! I feel that it is akin to streaming a movie as opposed to going to see it in the theaters. In my opinion, you must show the product respect by showing up and meeting it half-way, not doing it from the comfort of your own bed. It is an experience, so why not indulge in it.
Why are people shopping online anyway? Sure, there are more sales, but the feeling of scrolling will never match the feeling of moving hangers down a rack. Yes Covid is what started all of this nonsense in the first place, but why are we still doing it? I believe it is because we as a community are so focused on efficiency (thank you, capitalism!). We want to cram as much as we can into a short amount of time so we can just keep on working. So much so, that it is almost shameful to spend a large amount of time on yourself. But that is not good for anyone. So, if you don’t do it for me, do it to stick it to the man and reserve a day to treat yourself.
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