Warning Signs it's Time to Stop Shopping
You have been shopping all day. You started strong getting a few new fantastic outfits at J. Crew. You then had a stroke of bad luck at the next few stores and it put you in a slightly frustrated mood. You started looking at your watch and begin to feel pressed for time. You decide to forget about lunch because you want to hit up a few more stores. Now that you are hungry and frustrated you start to go into stores with a bad attitude. You don’t even want to try things on. You leave feeling annoyed, frustrated and unproductive.
We have all had those days and they are THE WORST. Especially when you go with an intention to buy something specific like a dress for an event the next day. Leaving empty handed after a day of shopping really puts a damper on things. That’s for sure. After several years of shopping WITH clients and shopping FOR clients I am now a self proclaimed “Efficient Enjoyable Shopping Connoisseur”.
You can prevent the breakdown if you start you know what to look for. That's why today I’m sharing my top warning signs with you to prevent you from having another Debbie Downer shopping disaster.
1) You start getting critical. - What I find with most women is that when we first start looking through the racks we are filled with excitement and an optimistic attitude. It’s once we start trying on things (that don’t fit the way we envisioned) that we start to get crabby. While this is a whole other blog post all together, I do think it’s important to recognize that once you are full of negative thoughts you aren’t going to like anything.
What to do: Try to keep that positive mindset through out your shopping experience. I do periodic check ins with myself. Ask yourself questions such as “Is this rack overwhelming you? Let’s check out the jewelry.” Or give yourself reminders like “Yes! So much cobalt blue here today! That color looks amazing on you.
2) You are super hungry but are trying to push through. Often we go shopping as an extra errand to do. It is often around a meal time (I usually am shopping around lunch) so sometimes we forget to eat. DON’T. You are just asking to put yourself in a funk.
What to do: If you are hungry or thirsty you HAVE to take care of that. No body likes a “hangry” (hungry and angry) shopper. If this is something you really find effects you I suggest bringing water and snacks. It may sound silly but sometimes you gotta stop and refresh.
3) You become glazed over and unfocused. This means it’s been too long and it’s time to take a break. Walking around in a fog is just going to make the shopping experience longer without accomplishing much.
I always say I can go into a store like Anthropologie and always see different things. Part of that is that when you go in with a focused mind you are more efficient. This makes shopping more enjoyable and quicker as well.
What to do: Take a break. Grab food, make a call, sit outside for a few. Afterwards you can reassess how you feel. Are you too tired to continue? Do you feel refreshed? Make the call with a clear head.
I know. I am a stylist and I am telling you to STOP shopping. This may seem counter intuitive. But when you hit a wall when shopping, it no longer is going to be beneficial and it can make you leave with a bad taste in your mouth about the day. This is totally unnecessary. I want you to ENJOY shopping, feel confident in your clothes and knowledgeable in the stores. So next time you are out and start to see one of these warning signs, I want you to check in and reassess.
I’d love to hear if this is something you experience. What do you do to snap yourself out of it? Let me know in the comments section!
Xoxo,
Melanie
