This is by far the most embarrassing thing that can happen when you shop online
‘This is getting serious, Tess.’ This is what I hear when I honestly tell what has happened. She is right. It is serious.
If you enjoy shopping online, you will surely recognize everything I’m about to tell you. You scroll before going to sleep, dutifully and faithfully, through the new items from Zara and H&M. You have & Other Stories, de Bijenkorf, and Zalando saved in your bookmarks on your phone with filled shopping carts. Of course: there’s always something in your cart. Your ASOS app sends you daily reminders about the clothing items that are still waiting for you. You find something you just have to have in every store. At the butcher, Intratuin, Hema, MediaMarkt… Have to. And no, you don’t have enough sweaters, jackets, or boots. Never. It’s all terrible and incredibly greedy. But when this happens… Then… You know it’s serious.
So I wanted to order a white sweater from & Other Stories. Nice, I thought, with jeans or that gray pants. With my white teddy coat over it and gold necklaces. The outfit was already fully in my head and hop, let’s see if my size is still available. Yes. Well, then that S in the shopping cart. I also see a cozy faux fur jacket. Alright. I don’t have that yet, really not, I promise. Quick, quick, before someone else takes my size. So far, nothing strange going on… Until the white sweater arrives. Let’s say it costs about 60, 70 euros.
I take it out. It’s soft, nice, beautiful. Fits well. Looks exactly like I wanted. But then… I realize something. I know this sweater from somewhere. I mean it. From something, well, from last year. And then I slowly figure out what has happened. With a jerk, I pull open the junk closet and grab large filled shoppers one by one. I rummage through clothes that I tidied up in the summer. You know, those winter sweaters that you don’t need during a heatwave. The ones you put in shoppers. And toss in the storage. And… Forget. I search, I look and O MY GOD. Yes. Oh no. I ALREADY HAD THIS WHITE SWEATER.
The most embarrassing moment ever in my online shopping life. You can laugh about it, but it’s of course deeply sad. First of all, because I apparently have a pretty lousy memory. Additionally, because I have a terrible addiction. With two completely, exactly, 100 percent identical white sweaters in my hands – one slightly more washed – I know one thing for sure: I’m going to change my life. Now it’s over with those apps. With that exaggerated feeling of: I have to buy this. I especially have to buy nothing more. I especially need to… Exchange something.
Very strange, I still haven’t worn that old white sweater, so nice over those jeans and under that white teddy coat. It’s back in the closet. I’ll stick to black for a while.
