One in four women are addicted to shopping, a study revealed yesterday (thurs).
Research into 2000 women revealed that 45 per cent of UK females said they get a genuine rush of excitement when they purchase new clothes, shoes and accessories.
And a third said that nothing beats the buzz of strutting out of a shop swinging a bag full of new purchases.
Unsurprisingly, a third said they are at their happiest when shopping and spending money – with a quarter of women confessing to lying about the amount of shopping they do.
Over half of British women said when they see something they like either online or in a shop they can’t stop thinking about it.
With 17 per cent of shopping mad females even confessing to dreaming about certain items.
The poll by LoveSales.com – a shopping site that monitors items on all the top retailer websites in the UK and alerts you when they drop in price – found the typical female ‘watches’ an item of clothing for at least seven days before buying.
More than one in twenty even print out a picture of the must have item and pin it up at home or at work.
Keir McConomy, founder of LoveSales.com, said: ‘’Most women will be able to relate to this research to some degree and there is obviously some truth in the phrase ‘retail therapy’.
“When you see something you like and are still thinking about it a good while after, it’s probably a sign you should buy it.
‘’Shopping online does allow you to keep ‘checking-in’ on a certain item without having to keep traipsing back to the shops.
‘’A common tactic is to keep visiting a certain website to see if the item you are watching goes down in price, and now you can even receive alerts that will let you know automatically.”
The study also found that the longest amount of time the average woman has gone without buying a new item of clothing is only two and half months.
And then 40 per cent said they celebrate their abstinence with a big, spending blow-out.
Four in ten also like to treat themselves to something new if they have had a bad day at work.
Of those, 92 per cent said it works miraculously as they feel instantly more cheerful.
When it comes to pay day 22 per cent of women have to buy something whether they need it or not.
And seven in ten of the 2000 women surveyed said most women they know love shopping and 44 per cent claim to have followed in their mothers footsteps as a shopaholic.
Nearly six in ten females have certain rules they abide by before taking the plunge and handing over cash for a new item.
The main one being that if it goes down in price, they must have it. Another test they have to pass is if they can afford it without going overdrawn or in debt then they should buy it.
Half reckon that if it’s replacing something that has been worn to death or needs replacing then it’s also ok to go ahead with the purchase.
And 30 per cent said they would only ever buy a designer item if it wasn’t full price.
If a week has gone by and they still want to buy it then they will finally take the plunge, but a very cautious 18 per cent ponder the purchase for A MONTH before coughing-up.
Keir McConomy added: “Having certain rules in place before you take the plunge and buy something is a good idea, especially if you know you can get carried away when shopping.
‘’Waiting for something to go down in price or asking yourself if you really need it is a good way of sense checking your purchases.
“LoveSales.com is a free service that automatically alerts you when items you have been watching online go down in price, that way you don’t have to manually go on to the retailer’s website each time.”
The survey found in a typical year the average female spends £595.80 on new clothes, with the yearly bill for make-up and toiletries totting up to a further £235.80.
Clothes were found to be the favorite items to buy followed by shoes then food.
THE SHOPPING RULES….
1. If it’s replacing something that I have worn to death I should replace it
2. If I can buy it outright and not go in to debt to buy it – I should have it
3. If it goes down in price I must have it
4. I will only purchase a luxury item if it was on offer
5. If the price is less than I thought it would be I should get it
6. If I still want it after a week I should have it
7. If I have been thinking of it constantly I should have it
8. If I still want it after a month I should have it
9. If I have been good in other areas of my life (like dieting) then I should have it
10. If I have had a bad week or bad news I should buy it as a pick me up
ENDS
