Why is shopping so much fun when you are not at home?

I can’t even begin to tell you how much time I spent reading the ads in the comics when I was a little girl. Hours would go past as I looked through the small black and white coupon redemption ads imagining myself snacking on Hostess Twinkies with my x-ray vision glasses perched on the end of my nose while tending to my family of sea monkeys who were jumping through hoops outside their castle.

All those novelty toys looked so amazing probably because I never got to see the real thing and feel the invariable disappointment of receiving shrimp brine instead of sea monkeys and novelty plastic instead of x-ray glasses.

Growing up in a country with sanctions imposed on it for it’s horrific apartheid activity meant that we didn’t get to see a lot of imported products in our department store or supermarket aisles. In my mind “overseas” became the land of milk and honey or rather Sea Monkeys and Magic Sand and I imagined giant toy stores of miraculous product and proportion. With a huge emphasis on Fisher Price toys and bubble gum.

When my parents traveled they would bring us home gifts that seemed so exotic and unique – like writing paper and matching envelopes of Raggedy Anne and Andy (one of my fondest gift memories), dolls that came in tissue boxes and watches that had lights behind them – okay it was in the 1970’s.

Everything from “overseas” was tinged with novelty and awesome.

And then many, many, many years passed, sanctions were lifted and I came to live in Australia. For a while I was in awe of the supermarkets because everything was different and exciting. And then time passed and it all just became tedious shopping for groceries.

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Many time I have made the mistake of shopping myself ragged while overseas and then coming home with a worrying amount of shameful consumerism and bags full of stuff that looked better in its native countries.

When I am on holiday I can spend hours browsing through shops and marveling at every item on the shelf while at home I hate shopping with an intensity that others reserve for politicians. But yesterday I had to get a few things before we go overseas this weekend and I had a bit of time on my hands. I got past my initial hatred of being inside a shopping centre and tried to recall the wonder I felt at shopping overseas. And the most revelatory thing for me was how much STUFF there is on the shelves right here at home.

I’ve never noticed the electronic eyelash curlers or the gimmicks and gadgets, the huge range of stationery that would have me salivating if I had caught a plane to get to the shop where it was stocked.

I cannot believe that there is anything that I am going to see overseas that I can’t find in Australia. Other than the different cultures of course, which are very hard to buy and package. So, hopefully this holiday I will stay out of the shops and try to fill up on experiences instead.

If my husband is reading this I hope he realises I am fully entitled to change my mind as soon as we hit duty free. Also none of this counts for clothing purchases.