I like my money where I can see it, hanging in my closet. – Carrie Bradshaw

The phrase was said by Carrie Bradshaw, the main character in the series Sex & The City and one of the most famous TV fashionista. She was strongly committed to cultivating a spectacular wardrobe and could spend thousands of dollars on a pair of shoes or a designer dress without a gram of guilt.

Going shopping was part of the routine for the protagonists of the program and Carrie became a fashion icon that illustrated the relationship between women and shopping.

Is it true that we shop more than men, that shopping pleases us on a bad day or we have this uncontrollable urge? Researchers agree that its much more than opening the wallet and removing the card. In fact, women complete many of the visits to a store or mall without purchasing anything. That’s because for women these visits also symbolize entertainment, creativity, pleasure and independence. Which matters much more than just buying, says Patricia Huddleston, consumer specialist at the University of Michigan, in her book behavior Consumer Behavior: Women and Shopping.

But is there such thing as too much shopping?

Shopping addiction is characterized by an uncontrollable urge to buy unnecessary and superfluous products and when the wild and compulsive consumption exceeds the financial capacity of the person it is when the problems begins. In this post we will see what is Compulsive Shopping Disorder, its main problems and how we can overcome it.

What is shopping addiction?

As mentioned earlier, shopping addiction is an uncontrollable impulse to buy products that a person does not need. This disorder ends up creating a relationship of dependency and tolerance. In other words, the feeling of compulsive shopping will grow progressively worsening over time, and sooner or later, it becomes a vicious cycle which is increasingly difficult to escape.

The Problems of Shopping Addiction

The real problem with this addiction occurs when the impulse exceeds the financial capacity of a person. That’s when the economic problems start; problems like debt and overdue amount are very common in this situation. In the most extreme cases, the shopaholic can attempt to theft or fraud.

Symptoms Associated with Shopping Addiction

The shopaholics often hide this problem from their loved ones at all costs. However, being slightly observant, we can identify a number of characteristic symptoms of this addiction. Note that, as always, the sooner the problem is identified the sooner it can be treated to prevent the situation from worsening into more serious problems.

What are the symptoms of addiction to shopping?

High levels of anxiety in shopping centres, stores, etc. This anxiety is accompanied by nervousness and excitement.
The shopaholic acquires superfluous objects which are not needed since the satisfaction does not come from the purchased items but the purchase itself.
Shopaholics justify their acquisitions claiming they were absolutely necessary.
To avoid justifying their acquisitions shopaholics begin hiding their purchased items. Therefore, it is very common to find items, often unused, in the most unusual places in the house.
For this need to hide purchased items from others, the shopaholics often isolate themselves from their families and begin showing antisocial behaviour.
The compulsive shopper usually feels personal dissatisfaction, sadness and sometimes depressive symptoms. Moreover, these tend to be unsafe with people having low self-esteem.
When the level of addiction interferes with daily life and the concerned person has lost control over their addiction, they should seek professional help through proper therapy or psychological treatment.

So remember girls shopping is fun but paying bills isn’t!