Dubai: The mall is their sanctuary and shopping is their addiction. Shopaholics, who hit the mall several times a week, said going home with new clothes makes them feel like a child during Eid.
While retail therapy proves to be a common trend, shopaholics said spending a few hours at the mall puts a smile back on their faces on a bad day. The start of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) last weekend has been especially enjoyable for shopping addicts who talked to Gulf News about their frequent shopping sprees and their constant itch for that next purchase.
Senior university student, Mai Sultan, an Emirati, considers herself a true shopaholic and said she goes to the mall three times a week on average.
“Every time I feel down I go shopping — I get to buy new things, spend some money and feel better,” said Mai.
The shopping addict said she usually buys items she doesn’t necessarily need when she goes on her weekly shopping sprees.
“When I actually need something I save up the money for it and buy an expensive item of good quality but when I need retail therapy I buy anything I like just to make my mood better,” said Mai.
The student said while she isn’t able to shop as much during exam time she usually resorts to buying something at the supermarket just to satisfy her shopping craving.
Sharing the same feelings and shopping habits with Mai, 23-year-old Wasfeyeh Al Ezat, a Palestinian, said she rarely goes shopping to buy something she needs but refuses to go home empty-handed.
“I would describe the experience as therapeutic, as walking around and seeing other shoppers makes me feel like I am a part of a community,” said Wasfeyeh.
Wasfeyeh, who goes shopping at least twice a week, said the sales help her save money, but she still buys items that are full price during her weekly tours around the mall.
While many resort to the mall as a distraction from problems and a way to reverse their bad mood, clinical psychologist Dr Saliha Afridi, who works at The LightHouse Arabia, told Gulf News that the constant need to make a purchase can turn into an addiction known as compulsive shopping. Making a purchase can be compared to eating a slice of cake — as both actions have the same effect on the brain.
Go-to mechanism
“For compulsive shoppers a chemical known as dopamine is released in the brain every time they make a purchase —— the same chemical is released whenever we experience something pleasurable like eating dessert,” said Dr Saliha.
Just like other addicts, compulsive shoppers are always preoccupied as they are constantly thinking about what their next purchase will be. Dr Saliha said that with consumer marketing targeting the new generation compulsive shopping is now seen more often in younger children.
“Children nowadays are always asking for the next toy, the next iPad — and it’s common among teenagers,” she said.
An addiction, however, can be clearly distinguished from a habit. Buying that new dress to cheer yourself up every once in a while does not make you an addict, said Dr Saliha.
“The problem starts when you make shopping your go-to mechanism to escape from your problems and avoid addressing the real issue,” she said.
Dr Saliha pointed out that going to the mall, often where everything is beautified and customers are catered to, can make shopping a very flattering experience.
“The important thing is to figure out how to deal with your issues so that you’re not stuck in a loop where you find yourself at the mall for the wrong reasons,” said Dr Saliha.
