Greeting card companies invented Mother's Day so they could sell cards. Why wouldn't retail therapy be a concept created by department stores? I'm a cynic, I know. As a last resort, though, I tried it.
I have been in a dysphoric tailspin for two weeks, unsure of whether it would ever bottom out. Relief has been intermittent and hard to come by. I'm not sleeping well, or enough. I've felt like clinging to my wife, but haven't had much opportunity.
Tuesday night, I logged into my email, finding an ad from Paypal. I followed a link to Overstock.com, just on a whim, to see what sorts of shoes or dresses I might find on sale. I browsed a long while, soon overwhelmed by the quantity and unprepared to commit to purchasing online. Returns are a hassle, and my luck hasn't been great in the past. I just don't do much etail.
Hey! What about Payless.com? Nice selection, much better than their stores. I usually take a 12 in closed toe styles, 11 in sandals. There were sandals out the wazoo, and very affordable. Then I looked at the shipping info, and knew I had found a home. Free shipping to any of their stores! They call you when your order comes in. If you need to return something, just bring it in to any store and return it there. The only drawback is time: allow 14-17 days. All my uneasiness with online shopping quelled, I set about finding some shoes.
I chose three different styles of sandal, then realized it was BOGO. It made sense to buy in even numbers, so I dropped one pair. Plus a coupon code for twenty percent off. Practically free! Well, two pairs of sandals for $25. Close enough.
Besides the excitement of procurring pretty shoes, I got the extra benefit of a lightened heart. Twenty four hours later, and the respite is still ongoing. I feel better than I have in a while. It's not a game I can play with any frequency, but I am now a firm believer in selective use of retail therapy as a last ditch source of relief from dysphoria.
No kickbacks were tendered for writing this entry, but that doesn't mean that I'm above accepting them.
Musings: It's All About Community
5 hours ago
Shopping, is an act of nurturing. There is theraputic value there. Thats not a license for mad bingeing, but for tactical deployements of the purse in fashionable service of the self. Now thats stimulus ...
ReplyDeleteLeslie Ann,
ReplyDeleteMy SO finds joy in the Payless website too. Sometimes just "window" shopping can help too. Glad to read you got a lift, and just think...when the package arrives it will be like two.
P.S. Don't you love how Petra makes everything sound beautiful and important when she writes. A comment from Petra is a lift in itself.
What? Six pair isn't an even number? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI was once addicted to Payless. My attitude was, at their ridiculously low prices, how could I afford NOT to buy all the styles I liked. I soon found myself knee deep in shoes, that I rarely ever wore. I think I also became my UPS driver's best customer.
Melissa XX
@ lynnd -- Yes, Petra's prose is pure music, full of beautiful grace notes. I know that she could make pooping sound elegant. High praise, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteShoe shopping...grrrr...my nemesis.
ReplyDeleteRetail therapy wasn't invented by the stores, but by women who've had more than enough and need to do something. Shopping, Hari, Spa, SOMETHING fercryingoutloud . . . So no worries, you haven't fallen into someone's evil clutches.
ReplyDeletePayless I've been very happy with, between BOGO and my AAA discount, I do quite well. I've never had a problem with returns either, and I do the ship to store thing. Awesome! I totally agree with Petra! My dsyphoria is a think of the past, but I still use retail therapy in small selective doses. "A Medical Attack O'Neill?"
"No Teal'c, it's called a surgical strike, but yeah."
Surgical strikes to deal with the blues baby, that's what I'm talkin about.
Sometimes shopping is just what the doctor ordered. I think it's terrific that you recognize that it isn't something that should be relied on with frequency, but definitely can help when the time is right.
ReplyDelete