It can be our little secret, because no one wants to admit it: We love to shop.
You know that little thrill when you find the right pair of shoes or jeans that fit perfectly, and if they are on sale, well that's double the pleasure.
And wow, do we like to shop. A GE Money poll tells us over a period of 63 years women shop for 25,184 hours and 53 minutes, which adds up to eight years of our lives spent shopping.
We also like to look, even if we aren't buying. We spend 40 hours and 31 minutes a year just browsing. Men like to shop too, but household spending is mostly taken on by women.
We also like a bargain. According to the 2016 Brandspark Canadian Shopping study, 52 per cent of Canadians enjoy shopping and if they get a deal it makes the trip "fun." Brand loyalty is down and deal hunting is on the rise as 92 per cent of us feel proud when we get great value for our money.
With over half the population in love with shopping, the Tsawwassen First Nation, Ivanhoe Cambridge and Property Development Group are well placed for success with the opening of their massive shopping
complex in our hood on Oct. 5. Promoted as a retail destination for Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the U.S., it's those of us who live nearby who may be the most frequent visitors.
Talk about enticing. Two malls the size of Metrotown will be a quick five-minute drive from my home. I will no longer have to design my shopping trips around tunnel traffic or how much gas I have in my tank. I worry how this retail extravaganza will change my shopping habits.
When 18 million people in the U.S. have a shopping addiction, it's a problem. As they shop, their brain releases endorphins and dopamine. These feelings become addictive and they cause
euphoria followed by anxiety and depression, which leads them back to the malls.
Tsawwassen Mills will offer 200 shops and Tsawwassen Commons will have 100 retailers nestled in 550,000 square feet of outdoor shopping heaven. All this selection around the corner could become a problem. Will my family come home to an empty house at the end of the day and figure I am at the mall, again?
Developers understand shopping is the new entertainment. With an 1,100-seat food hall, a children's play area, native art, fly fishing at Bass Pro Shops and giant TV screens featuring the big games, there's something for everyone at the mall. All this distraction is designed to keep everyone happy while the ladies use up their annual shopping hours.
With news that the B.C. Lottery Corporation would like to open a casino in Delta, we in South Delta are entering a new commercial reality and it's not pretty. Neighbours, hold onto your money and prepare to show restraint.
Ingrid Abbott is a freelance broadcaster and writer who likes to shop even though she denies it.
