Doesn’t it feel great when you come home with new, amazing clothes, trendy shoes and that irresistible designer bag? We are often overwhelmed with a short-lived happiness when paying for the new purchase, but the feeling disappears as soon as we look at our bank balance. Sounds familiar? Well, you may just be a shopping addict, especially if you live in Dubai. With its glitzy shopping malls and fancy boutiques, it’s a true shopper’s paradise. And the problem may be lot more serious than you think, because this is a way of life for many but not a one day exiting mega sale as the upcoming Amazon’s Prime Day.
Women’s love for clothes shopping is no secret, but experts warn that it shouldn’t be considered just a guilty pleasure. The happiest retail therapy is an addiction for one in four women in the UK, according to a new poll. Out of the 2,000 ladies in the study, a third admits they are at their happiest when spending money on new clothes. And 45 percent of them say they feel a genuine rush of excitement when they buy new clothes, shoes and fashion accessories. This means that shopping actually impacts the body physically. But how is that possible? The poll, conducted by shopping discounts site LoveSales doesn’t give an answer, but its findings are quite concerning, according to experts. How can you feel the happiest while purchasing clothes and not when you are with your kids or achieve success in your career?
It turns out there’s much more to clothes shopping that we thought. In 2007 researchers from Stanford, MIT and Carnegie Melon analyzed the brain activity of shoppers using fMRI technology. Their brains were scanned while they made decisions whether to buy something or not. The results confirmed that happiness in shopping comes from the hunt for things, the feeling that you want something. But the biggest pleasure occurs when you find a bargain. And that’s not a tough task, especially with the rapid spread of the so-called fast-fashion chains such as H&M, Zara, Mango, Forever 21, Peacocks, and so on. They always have the latest trends, the most popular items and they offer great discounts and sales.
There hasn’t been a poll on shopping addiction in Dubai and there’s no need for one. There are tens of thousands shops in Dubai – everything from exotic clothing in the city’s traditional souks, to luxury boutiques and shopping centres. The city also boasts having the largest shopping mall in the world – the Dubai Mall, which has over a thousand stores, restaurants and entertainment options to the millions of visitors who shop there each year. In fact, Dubai is a popular shopping destination for “addicts” from all over the world. And even if you aren’t really into all that retail therapy and purchasing a new piece of clothing each week, once you step in Dubai, you are most likely to give in. The city simply has the two pleasure factors – endless stores with lovely clothes, shoes and accessories, combined with the various sales and bargains of fast-fashion chains.
This is actually the secret of the success of retail industry in Dubai – giving shoppers exactly what they want and much more. So, if you find yourself paying too much for fashion here, don’t be surprised, you’re just the latest happy (and a little bit poorer) shopping addict of Dubai.
