My Shopping Victories and Vices

by Joanne Rock

Have you checked out my new series?

Looking back over your shopping history, I’ll bet you can make a list of top purchases you’re proud of. Think about the times where you bargained for a great deal, used a coupon on top of a Black Friday discount, or walked out of the flea market with a brand new set of dishes for just a few dollars. There is a special joy in choosing well and knowing you spent your cash wisely.

But, my friends, there are other kinds of shopping joys that I sometimes revel in, and they often fall on the opposite end of the spectrum from “spending wisely.” Meet my shopping vices—splurges, impulse buys, gift sets, and pretty packaging. Sometimes, when I’m at my most wicked, I meet all four criteria with a single, beautiful purchase—a makeup brush set from a designer brand, for example, boxed with bonuses and packaged in pinks and bows. (Forget sleek, high-end packaging in steely grays and black. I like splashy pinks and metallic).

I live near an Ulta store, and this is a problem for me. I choose my moments carefully before I enter.

See that cute perfume in the upper right hand corner?

Twice a year, maybe, unless I’m buying a gift for someone else. Because I know myself, and I can only feel okay with the big, splurge purchases a couple of times a year. My local spa had a sale on sunscreen recently, and I drove halfway across town to scoop up the set because it came with a pink cooler and a beach towel, among a few other fun swag items. Who can resist?

In the past, I’ve been occasionally bothered by moments of guilt once I get home. After the shopping glow has faded, I might ask myself—Joanne, did you really need that perfume set with seven new fragrances? Of course not. No one needs all those adorable atomizers. I did it because it was fun and made me smile. Lately, I’ve discovered the guilt goes right away when I take these shopping joys and turn them into reader prizes. Because maybe I didn’t deserve a new nail polish set today, but you, dear reader, always do!

A past reader prize...
Notepads are another weakness of mine.

So welcome to my new shopping joy—not a vice at all—and that’s sharing my impulse purchases and splurges with you. I include some of the swag in prizes on my webpage http://joannerock.com, but most of it goes into my Flash Giveaways on my author Facebook page. There, I add a cute perfume to a stack of books and throw in some makeup brushes. I have a ton of fun creating prize packs that are color coordinated and readers get to enjoy them as much as me.

Once again, books save me… writing is my life calling. Readers reward me ten times over for following that calling. And now? They alleviate my guilt at a vice I can’t shake 😉. You all are the best.

***Please say I’m not the only one! What’s your guilty pleasure at the mall? Are you wooed by the Clearance Rack? Is Sam’s Club your Achilles heel? Share with me today your shopping triumphs and vices! I'll send one random poster a copy of one of my McNeill Magnates stories from Harlequin Desire... reader's choice! I'm flying today, but I'll be on the boards Sunday and will choose a winner mid-week.