There's the window shopping that's so enticing, it works like an appetizer. The items are thoroughly observed, the prices critically analysed and the decisions are meticulously made. Sometimes the head rules the heart and you strike a good bargain. At other times, you just give in to the temptation.
By the time the real shopping begins, the warm-up is done and you're in full gear. Clothes always top the list. You walk around in an unending maze of styles and designs, swept up in a sea of colour and pattern, lured by a gorgeous vision of yourself in a stunning outfit. Jewelry comes a close second. Whether its the soft luminosity of pearls that makes your skin glow or the glitter of diamonds mirrored in your eyes, the magic is irresistable. Suddenly you are drawn to perfumes- everything ranging from the subtle to the strikingly exotic, as your heart sways between the innocence of fresh, flowery fragrances and the passion of wild, haunting scents. Then come the shoes, bags and other inevitable accessories.
All this self-indulgence leads to guilty thoughts of home which are promptly purged by entering the home-appliances store. The ultimate dream is being on an unlimited expense account although its disconcerting to think of it as your husband's worst nightmare.
Your legs are beginning to show signs of strain and the back is slightly stiff after hours of walking in high-heels, but miraculously, none of this is felt until you're home. The tiresome assignments, the unending tests and all of life's little problems recede into the background. For those few euphoric hours, the world is a beautiful place and you're thrilled to be part of it.
Few men understand this feminine passion for buying things, this fascination with shops. It amuses them to think we raise it to the level of an art, a philosophy, a whole way of life. And it scares them to think what it does to their bank balances. The limits are firmly set, the budget is cut and the promises are made. Until the next shopping spree.