The Pandemic Shopaholic

It was February 2020, I was told to pack up of my classroom and my students and to vacate the premises until further notice, we are experiencing a pandemic and the state of Georgia has been shut down for 30 days. I immediately thought is this the end I went straight to the grocery store and stocked up on supplies and necessities. When covid-19 was at its peak of contagious spread and there was very little information on the virus and the effects, all stores were shut down except the grocery stores, so I went crazy shopping for supplies and essentials on line. I also had extra time on my on my hands because I was out of work, so I incorporated a workout regimen in my daily routine. I was exercising at least 3 times a week, riding my bike, walking, using my exercise equipment and watching my diet. Well with all my hard work I lost 40lbs and I lost my mind shopping, let me give you a journey of my shopping anxiety.

First my shopping frenzy started with supplies and essentials such as food, water, household products and personal beauty aids. I started off ordering everything natural from Shea butter, to organic this and sensitive skin that. Now during the pandemic a tragedy happened with George Floyd so I went on another shopping frenzy only purchasing black made products from black owned businesses. After I lost the weight, all the stores were closed and my wardrobe didn’t fit any more so I got obsessed with shopping online boutiques. I also got obsessed with fitness clothes and accessories, Nike this, Adidas that and Fila’s etc.

I will admit I lucked up and got some cute stuff and good products but one lesson I learned is that a good photo and description can never really justify the real products. I got a real reality shock from shopping with these online boutiques, for one it is almost always some type of false advertisement. The problem with these online boutiques is most of the clothes are shipped from China and it is like torture to return an item or get a refund. The clothes in the picture look nothing like the clothes you got shipped to your residence. The material is cheap and the clothes fit like a box.

Scrolling through social media predominantly Facebook, I come across those ads and the clothes look so cute and fit the models so nice wow talk about trickery. Ordering online is like getting a box of chocolates with no names and descriptions, you just got to guess and bite it. You can’t trust that size chart accompanied with the ad brochures because apparently a size 14 is different in China than it is in America.

While I add things to my cart I ask myself why a pandemic makes me want to shop. I don’t know whether I will live or survive but I will go out in style even if I can’t go anywhere and no one will ever see me, sorry I can post on Instagram. Now I am not going to expose the name of these online boutiques because I did keep some of the stuff, well I kept all of it because I couldn’t afford to send it back to China. There was a lesson learned I have definitely stopped shopping online, I will not be bamboozles or hoodwinked again, no more wasting money on senseless things because I am unemployed now, but when I get my stimulus and income tax I will be shopping again, I deserve it, I’ve been good. This pandemic and battle with covid-19 and all the hatred being spread today made me ask myself this question do I need to add to my cart or add to my heart. Should I be worried about what I am wearing on the outside or more concerned about what I’m harboring and carrying inside of me?