You know the sites: Hautelook, Gilt, Zulily, Ideeli, Rue La La? There’s addiction in my family, so was no surprise that I would fall prey to the gene. For years my father feared that I would pick up some bad habit or other: pour the sauce, pop the pills, ride the cocaine train, squeeze the juice (okay I made most of that up. I’m not privy to the colloquialisms of drug users, but it sounded good right? Maybe I could get the last one to catch on with steroid users. “Brad looks so buff all of a sudden.” “Oh, didn’t you know, he totally squeezes the juice.” Okay, I digress.
With my background in personal shopping and general love of fashion, which is only surpassed by my love of a good deal, Flash Sales is the obvious outlet for this addictive tendency that has been dormant for decades. It goes like this: First you get a notice, Vince up to 90% off today at (insert site here), then you must be on that site at the exact time the sale goes off. Yes, you may be on a business call or the toilet, but there are no excuses, BETTER SHOPPERS REVEL IN YOUR EXCUSES! Next you must immediately find your “must have” item before someone else puts it in their cart. There’s no time to waste, to debate, or to dely. Thinking things like, “Do I really need this?” “Don’t I already have a pair of black knee high stiletto boots?” or “Can I afford this?” will only lose you your prize, I mean your win, I mean your “must have” item. Nay, you must act fast and forget about making a smart buying decision or whether you’ll have buyer’s remorse after the sale. That kind of civilian thinking is for pussies not fashion soldiers like us.
Moving on, once you get a must have or at the very least your second or third choice (if your must have has been taken from you by a better shopper) you need to purchase it ASAP. Better to have one item in hand than a bunch in your cart. Look people, there’s a time limit that an item can wait, someone will steel that item out of your cart whilst you debate. (Repeat that last line as a rhyme and commit it to memory as your new mantra)
Okay, once you’ve punched in those digits and your expiration date you are the winner, I mean the buyer… of… something. Though you may not remember what exactly, until it arrives at your door. But no matter because you WON! You got that watchamacallit that tens of 1000s across the world wanted for 70% off! You know what that means? It means you’re savvy, smart, and fashionable. Now, with the 70% you saved you can log on to the next site and you have money to spend. Ooops, gotta go, Kotur is on sale at Gilt. What’s Kotur? I don’t know, but at 75%, I bet it’s awesome!
You’re the best shopper I know, I can never find what I want. I tried to get an X-Box-Kinnect from MS Shoppers, but they needed to have 200 replies before the item actually opened. I just couldn’t wait any longer. Maybe I’ll call you the next time and let you get it for me. Good luck shopping!!
I’m glad this doesn’t concern you at all. ENABLER!!!
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Jenny—I am also an addict. I have bought everything from formal gowns, Danang outfits, jewelry, luggage, all the way to an African Safari! I love these sites and revel every morning when I receive my morning round of emails telling me what is on sale and starting at what time. Luckily I work from home so I am one of the shoppers that is there when the starting gun sounds! The only question I usually ask myself is never ‘do I need this?’, but ‘why has it taken so long for this niche to reach the internet!!’
Sooo with you Alison. It’s not, “DO I need this?” it’s “How have I lived without it?”
I am addicted to Gilt and I watch the sales every day. It is my guilty pleasure. I am convinced that TJ Maxx is buying from them. I have seen a lot of Gilt products in their stores.
Damn TJ Maxx people trying to get more than it’s worth. That’s it, I’m just gonna stop sleeping that way I can hit the sales in Tokyo, Hong Kong, oh I’ll be well dressed you just wait… and tired.
Really well written, I didn’t know which site to run to first. I love your “gotta have it first attitude”. Professional consumerism does so much good to stimulate our economy. Thanks for doing your part!
I appreciate your soldier in the trenches attitude. You gotta fight for right to stabilize our economy with professional consumerism. Your husband should stand proud, you must have saved him millions by now.
Just doing my part…. any good citizen would do the same.
Whatever happened to conventional shopping? Standing at the door at Store opening and picking the goodies before other shoppers. You live 5 minutes from Sawgrass Mall. For you foreigners, it’s one of the largest discount malls in the world. Red hot smoking computers clacking away in hope of securing those Big Prizes. Next thing we know, you’ll have a bank of computer people winning you so much stuff you’ll open a new Classy Websight. You might be so addicted, you and your staff of geeks might be bidding against yourself at Your own Web Store.
Later, you could be participating with a new group. You’ll start your new group meeting by saying. “Hello my name is Jenny…..
I like the first idea. Hmmm a new business venture.
I loved your piece. I sooo get it, but it’s groupon.com I’m obsessed with.
Julie… I love the groupon concept too. I’m an equal opportunity spender! I just made that up, or maybe someone else did… but I like it!
Really great post, I loooove your stuff! and a good sale, yep, you and a good sale.
SO it’s you who always has the stuff I want in your cart. My nemesis!
I visit your blog practically daily and i love love love it! I also love the flash sales though I never knew they were called that. See, love you and the sales. SO much in common.
I like how you thinking…and I must confess I’m totally addicted to your articles!
I love those sales too! My husband thinks I’m insane when I explain how they save you money.