I halt this two or three-part series on my b-day celebrations, to report on an alarming new trend spotlighted on the cover of today's Wall Street Journal - retail-enabled inebriation, followed by drunk binge purchasing. Stores are basically liquoring up shoppers in order to loosen their grips on their wallets:
When the two women first stopped by Boogaloos Boutique one recent night, they didn't buy anything. When the pair returned to Penny Scheetz's store three hours later, they were a tad tipsy.
One lingered over a cable-knit sweater with a snowflake design. "Go ahead," Ms. Scheetz overheard one woman urging her friend. "You've done worse things when you were drunk. Just buy it." She did, for $110.
It was Thursday in Decatur, Ga., the night of the town's weekly Terrific Thursday party. A yellow school bus upholstered with wildly colored fur, paid for by the city, transported shoppers around the downtown shopping district. At some stores, they enjoyed appetizers -- and glasses of wine.
Small urban shopping areas have long tried to keep shoppers from visiting faraway malls or larger chains by opening late and offering sizable discounts. Now, many across the country are adding something extra to keep the cash tills lubricated: a drink or two, or three.
Be forewarned. A sober shopper is a smart shopper.
Suggestion: Ladies and gents - try the gameplan in reverse. For example, I'm about to head over to Grand Central's Holiday Market and follow the shopping spree with a Tuesday half-priced "Ladies' Night" cocktail at Metrazur.
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