"I used to buy Sirius stock to keep myself from buying more Hermes scarves," says shopper Jan Goode in a New York Times piece by Susan Dominus (9/26/08). "Now my Hermes holdings are much more valuable than my Sirius stock ... Sirius is at 90 cents a share. I should have been buying scarves all along." Such was the rationalization of one wealthy woman for standing "on" line to get into a Hermes sample sale on West 18th Street in N.Y.C.
Another said: "Even if the economy's down, a sale is all the more reason to buy something nice." She continued: "Buy something nice, it makes you look good, you feel good. If you pay full price and things are unstable at your job, it takes away the enjoyment." Of course, "not paying full price" at a Hermes sample sale means "a $900 pair of boots or $280 leatherbound hunting horn the size of a comb." And spending "nothing" apparently means dropping at least a grand.
As one shopper put it: "Even if I don't find anything, I still spend a thousand. It's like Costco." Only without the "lightbulbs, toilet paper or toothpaste." But it's not as though some of these shoppers weren't feeling just a little guilty. "I'll only buy if it's something I really need," said one. Others wouldn't give their names because they were playing hooky from work to attend the sale. "Let's just say my bank's still around," hinted one anonymous shopper, "That narrows it down to about four." To which another retorted: "Stop bragging!"
Actually, no. If I'm going to "therapy shop," I'll support a friend's endeavor.
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