a shopping phenomenon...

I really don’t like shopping. I just get too frustrated when things do not fit or I can’t find what I am looking for. The endless search, wandering from shop to shop, tax my energy and patience.



...proves women have more fun....?

 I know that many, if not most, go shopping for recreational reasons. They wander about in shopping centres and small boutiques, just to scout for something nice which could be added to their wardrobe, home or workshop. They spend several blessed hours considering buying that one perfect item. They study every interesting object and consider design, fit, colour and brand just to make sure it matches what they already have. Or, they wonder what else they should get to match this new purchase.

It must be wonderful to forget about time and chores and just shuffle about, with no specific direction in mind, other than what catches your eyes.

Some have specific shops they just have to check out, because they feel the style or image of that place fits their lifestyle.

Some have no other goal than to discover the ultimate bargain, others want another item of a certain brand. Maybe another screwdriver, the 184^th of an ongoing  increasing collection, is what feels absolutely necessary to get hold of.

For the most part I shop online, but now and again it is necessary for me to go to a store and get what I need. Yes: need.

I have promised myself that while my project on getting rid of clutter in my house is in progress, I am not going to buy anything which does not serve the purpose of creating order.

However, there are exeptions, and one store I take time to slow down and observe people, is IKEA.

Even though IKEA has expanded their  range of goods to include note pads, bags, shower gels, bathrobes and other “have got to get”  items, they mostly deal in rather dominating things. Things and furniture that will make an impact in your household.

As I walk through the store, deliberately not picking up a shopping cart (without the cart I have to pass by quite a few intriguing things I deep in my heart knows are totally useless, but nevertherless intriguing then and there), I see people filling up their shopping carts with this and that... and a few of those.

Huge piles of glasses and pillows and another basket (to store what you bought today) and a fancy lamp to light up a corner (which doesn’t really have space enough for the lamp) and weird looking twigs to decorate the hallway; twigs which will nab the jackets and coats to everyone passing through the entrance door... but they look nice, once you have put them back on display.

I find the thought of people paying attention to the look and comfort of their home quite pleasant. The sense of taste is really outstanding, for most people, and when the price is affordable; they seem to find pleasure in making their surroundings look the best they can.

Now, IKEA do have full kits to equip a room, (luckily not everybody choose these options, or we would end up having a million homes looking the same, without any personality shown) but you still need to deside to get it, purchase it, bring it home with you and put it on display.

So, by the insane number of people shopping there, I take it that noone mind the prices, the design, the colours, the compatible capacities of the items, sometimes even the lack of useful qualities... what I do hear a lot when slowly walking by customers is: “Wow, that looks cool! Where could I put it? Where can I make room for this chair/table/vitrine...?”

And next time I see them, they are handling a shopping cart AND a shopping trolley. By now they do not only have a pile of items in one cart, but they also have a mysterious number of unwieldy, really heavy, flat cardboard boxes on the trolley.

When at IKEA,  noone really gives a thought to what consequences their buy will have. They pay, stop by the sweets and treats counter, to get a soft ice, a cheap pizza or hotdog... with soft drink. Happy, knowing they have been temporarily distracted.

How to get room for everything in the car is not really important... It is easy to borrow a trailer. For free...

What I do notice, though, is how many out there who complain. Not about the items, but about the disturbing outbursts of frustration which occures, when everything is to be mounted.