The avid shopper is alive and well and living in most communities throughout the United States. There are those that shop for fun and there are those that shop for a specific thing and purpose. Some shoppers look for bargains by strolling through local wholesale stores or large discounters looking for cheap chinaware, or imitation clothing, shoes or purses. A few search the dusty shelves of the discount section for anything that might make their living room more exotic, or their bedrooms a bit spunkier. Some even look for that one item that will make friends ask where they have been shopping lately.



These are the shoppers that spend hours walking from one end of the 4-mile indoor outlet center to the other, just browsing with no real item to purchase in mind. They shop with no goal to meet. Shopping is their way of passing the time. For some, it is their way of connecting with people without actually having to participate in any activity with them. Their need to be with others is satisfied by merely bumping into them or walking along side them on their way from one store to the next. They enjoy the hustle and bustle of the large shopping center and their spirits are lifted when they find a good buy.

The avid bargain shopper or mall stalker as some would like to call him or her, is the person that sets out at the crack of dawn when there is an early bird sale. They head out with a jug of coffee filled to the brim in order to stay alert, and a car trunk cleared of any obstructions to the newly acquired bargains. Bargain shopping is not for the meek or the weak, at least not early bird sale shopping at the crack of dawn. Later in the day is safe, by mid-morning, all the true shoppers are on their way back home, trunks filled and caffeine cleared from their systems.

The avid shopper is looking for the deal of the day: the chrome and leather table lamp, the black silky dress, the variable speed handheld mixer, the designer shoes or the vacuum food sealer. They rush past the racks of expensive blouses, sweaters, ties and perfumes toward the tables marked with red lettered 'for sale' signs. These are where the bargains are to be found and anyone in the way will be pushed to the side. When an avid shopper is on the prowl, it is best to head in the opposite direction.

Avid shopping has taken on the seriousness of a team sport. To be a true shopper of bargains, one must be fit, level headed, a quick decision maker, calm yet alert and willing to hammer the competition if necessary. For a bargain shopper to return home without a car full of discounted designer clothes or shoes, is not always a tragedy, for there is always the next sale to rush off to, but most avid shoppers manage to find a least one item worth purchasing.