Retail Slave

There is no denying that we sisters can put it down in the fashion arena. Just look at Misa Hylton, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Eve to name a few. These women are doing it for themselves and looking great at the same time. Just like them, being fashion forward and fabulous is a way of life for most of us. Looking great and feeling great is essential to our well being and attitude. So if that means spending our whole check and Saturday’s in the mall shopping for the latest designers and trends, then so be it. Welcome to the world of a retail slave!

Statistics have shown that African-American women spend twice as much on clothing and beauty products than any other group of women. Yes ladies, if you haven’t noticed we are spending top dollars to look good. Alarming enough, many of us need to be in a twelve step program because we are addicted to retail! I will be the first to admit that I’m ADDICTED to shopping! I love clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and anything in between. For me shopping is a therapeutic stress-reliever. There is nothing better than finding a fab fitting outfit with a fierce pair of shoes after having a rough day at work. I pride myself on never paying full price for a single item (except my designer bags and jeans – those rarely if ever go on sale) so I guess you can call me a retail smart slave because I’m a bargain professional. Unfortunately, not too many women have this skill. They will stock their wardrobe by any means necessary with nothing but designer outfits (at full price) without paying themselves or their bills first.

We all know who she is. She is the girl with the new Louis Vuitton and Gucci bag with no money to pay her rent. The girl who spends her whole check on an outfit for the club, but can’t afford gas to get there and hopes someone will be like T-Payne and buy her a drink. I know it sounds funny but it is embarrassingly true. There are plenty of us fly sisters walking around like supermodels with super bills to pay. Retail addiction is no fun when you can’t afford to look at yourself because your lights got turned off. It’s perfectly fine to be fabulous at all times, heck it’s a must, but we must get our priorities straight when doing so. Rule of thumb for being fashionably and financially stylish is pay ALL bills before purchasing any non-essential clothing items, secure your savings account with enough money for all your monthly expenses in case any unforeseen emergencies occur, and last but not least make sure you save enough money for that one particular item that seems to never go on sale because after all, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have it, just make sure you pay yourself and your bills first, everything after that is fair game!

Happy Shopping!!

Rashana