I acquired a serious distaste for shopping a few years ago, after I cracked during a 7 day shopping bender I followed the Journo on.
Ever since, I have hated shopping and, at the same time, refined my own shopping excursions to the point of shopping in ten minute flashes.
My mantra is simple: know what you want, know where to get it, and know the best time to go buy it.
This is in stark contrast to the average shopper’s MO, which seems to me like being: have a very fuzzy, broadly defined idea of what you want, have absolute no idea where to find it, but browse everywhere for everything, buying loads of unrelated stuff and, perhaps, even the item in question.
I just don’t have the patience anymore.
So, here I am at Black Canyon Coffee, killing time while the Journo and the 3Rs are on a shopping-induced high, inside Platinum, browsing 5 sprawling floors of kiosks in a complex here in the centre of Bangkok.
Last year I found myself in the same situation, but teammate and fellow shopping avoider (although to a much lesser extent) Oniel was with me, and we unceremoniously left the girls shopping on their own to go have massages instead.
Hopefully soon everyone will have had their shopping fix, and we can return to the hotel where cool pool and Singah beer awaits.