Shopping, and my thoughts:
I'd be lying if I say people do not feel liberated, happy, and free after shopping! That would explain why the malls have come up, and the way people have taken to shopping! Look at lost faces that are busy thinking in an aisle about what would look good, or people who are looking at the merchandise with open wide eyes to know if they are lapping up the beauty.
Why does strolling around in innumerable malls a sureshot speedy fix to our immediate worries, problems, or to any worldly issue that keeps our mind pre-occupied.
Let's guess- Perhaps shopping is a playful experience, which gives us reasons to choose something that we can call our own. Perhaps, we can engage in the art of choosing, in a relaxed setting. It is never the product as much the experience that makes it a popular hobby. The merchandise makes us go back to the childhood, when we were young, and would gloat looking at toys. The sensibility of the sales person, and their anticipation about which way the shopper would go, make us feel warm, fuzzy, and special. Our moves are getting tracked, and maybe there is some kind of method in the madness of picking something up. There is a strange kind of an image associated with a book we buy, a pair of glasses that we choose, or food that we pick at a bakery. It is that little voice that is doing the talking! Buy this.
Now- sometimes social influence, or rather friends influence us in a rather strange way- we get tempted to buy something. It might not be a need but it's just the emotion of owning an item, which we think would be a need at a later stage. It is really the love of deciding something with someone, which gives us the need to shop. Is it the instant gratification that gives pleasure.
However there are times when the same item goes back into our wardrobe, or closet, and never gets used. The vigor, and the excitement which made us think of the use of an item, is not there anymore. What happens? Why does the pair of shoe that meant so much back when were at the counter checking the label, does not get used that often?
That's perhaps the rule of life situations- we tend to be optimistic about our lives, and our needs. We are way too optimistic about our future needs, and anticipate far too much; we don't realize that there are so many aspects of brain that get activated when we are offered a choice. Those hidden emotions, and temptations make us indulge in pleasures which would never have emerged otherwise- remember 'guilty pleasures'. The guilty pleasure of eating a sinful chocolate dessert, or buying a dress which might never be worn, or perhaps picking up a 400 page book, which might be read- in between!
Little do we realize that we are not shopping for a nice meal, or a nice dress but we are shopping for that little trap set by the realty agent, who created just the right temperature, ambience, the fragrance, and brought happy crowd, and happier brands, labels, visuals, and image: all this turned a discerning, mature person into a little child, and pushed him/her to decide about taking decisions- Sometimes the act of buying is a mere reaction to the way we walked into those malls, to see what's going on. Having belabored my point I'd still not know if shopping makes us happy, or happiness makes us shop? Classic Conundrum!
