Shop stress

CAROLIEN WANTS ANTI-LIMITED AND ANTI-EXCLUSIVE

If you think that only women stand in a queue for hours for that one guest designer for H&M, or the new Céline collection, think again. Men are just as bad. Perhaps even worse.
It all started when my bf gave me a voucher for PATTA, thé sneaker store in Amsterdam. They were supposed to get really cool armyprint sneakers on Saturday, so I just had to take a look. Saturday arrived and I strolled to the store at ease, unaware of what was to follow.
To my big surprise there were four young men standing in front of the door. Waiting. Did they work here? Apparently, the cool army sneakers were more than just cool. They were part of a very exclusive Nike Japan collection. Oops.

Unawares, I was fifth in line for the most exclusive sneakers of the moment. Suddenly I felt the adrenaline coarse through my body. The shop doors opened and the men attacked the sneakers like wild animals. I approached the salesman like an afraid kitty: “do you still have size 40.5?” “Let me take a look luv..” I heard one of the guys next to me beg whether he could buy both colours. “We’d like to make more people happy today, so only one pair per person.” I had heard that sentence before, at the Isabel Marant for H&M was a limit of five items per person.

The shop doors opened and the men ATTACKED the sneakers like wild animals.

The salesman came back with my size, but unfortunately, they’ were a tad large. One of the guys next to me yanked the sneakers out of my hands like a hyena. “That’s my size, give it to me.” I was afraid to ask for anything else… “Do you perhaps have a 40?” “Sorry love, both colours are already sold out.” Next to me sat the culprit, holding both pairs in size 40. He looked away to avoid my gaze. Somehow, he was above the one per person policy. “He can have them both, he’s a regular.” I left the store with tears in my eyes. I didn’t even plan on going to all these lengths to buy those stupid sneakers, yet I still felt like I’d lost. Did this prove that it was all about the sneakers’ supposed exclusivity and limitedness? Would I’ve wanted those Isabel Marant for H&M items as badly if they would hang in the racks in ample quantities and for weeks? From now on, I’ll think twice whether I really want that exclusive item even if it weren’t exclusive. It would save me a lot of purchases a year. Now I’m going to shop online safely for the perfect pair of sneakers. I saw an amazing pair of Nike Air Max Gold on net-a-porter.com. Our editor Jet already ordered her pair. I was about to order it too. But guess what? Apparently, they’re also exclusive. And sold out…