How Do You Shop?
I come from a long line of shoppers. Some of my earliest memories feature shopping with my Babci and mother in a department store known as Nationals. We would wander down the aisles and look at all the merchandise and hunt for the best deals. As I grew older that was the way that I bonded with my mother. While we disagreed on a lot and really had different philosophies on life, we always could agree on a good bargain. Here is a little example. Once I had been searching and searching for a specific style belt. We finally found it on a mannequin at Macy’s and it was on sale. We tried to find it on the racks or in the accessory aisles, but had no luck. Finally my mother told me to just take if off the mannequin. I was a little uncomfortable about taking the display apart, but she insisted. Well once I took it off the mannequin, everything on that display fell off into a puddle on the floor. I was mortified. My mother shook it off with, “You got the belt didn’t you. Let’s go.”
When you shop do you buy the whole outfit or
just a piece you need?
Are there different types of shoppers? I decided to ask someone who sees shoppers of all types in her beautiful boutique, Lady Victorian in Duck, North Carolina, Billie Steese. Billie believes that variety is the spice of life and so are shopping personalities. She outlined the following types of shopping personalities for me.
The Enthusiastic Shopper loves design, textures and fashion and is always curious about emerging fashion trends. The overall shopping experience is exciting to them. They are adventurous in their choices and feel confident in the purchase that they make.
The Impulsive Shopper can’t resist a price that is just too good to be true and will often purchase something that they really do not need. While many of us have bought for these reasons, moderation is the key for this behavior.
The Compulsive Shopper has an uncontrollable need to buy something. For them it creates a temporary emotional high only to be followed by a letdown. This creates a cycle that might be hard to break. Nowadays, online shopping and shopping channels on television can intensify this behavior and cause great financial consequences.
The Frustrated Shopper does not enjoy shopping because they are so overwhelmed by the amount of merchandise available. They also maybe uncertain of what style or fit is right for them and they just shut down. The best solution for this shopper is to seek the help of the trusted and knowledgeable sales associate.
The Treasurer Hunter plans out and methodically searches for special and unique items each season. They are open to stepping out of their comfort zone in order to discover unique items to compliment their wardrobe choices.
According to Billie, “Why do people shop? Maybe it is to escape, blow off steam, reboot or to stay on the cutting edge of fashion. There are so many reasons to shop and there are no reasons. If you want to shop, just because, go ahead and enjoy!”
Everyone enjoys a little shopping