This is a situation that happens often, especially around this time of year: I'm at, like, a wedding or something, meeting complete strangers. They find out I work for Lucky and say something lovely, complimentary and good natured such as, "You must be such a good shopper! I'd love to go shopping with you." And I immediately feel...terrible. Like I've been caught in some huge lie, like I'm the fraudiest fraudster in Fraudtown. 
See, I am not what you'd call a "good" shopper. I have friends who
glide through stores caressing fabrics, joking with the salesgirls,
admiring and setting down accessories like they're Ming Dynasty
antiques, just really enjoying themselves and then leaving with
unexpected items they love and wear for years. And I know people who are eagle-eyed in any type of shop: They have a goal and a budget. They get in, get out. They declare victory. I admire both of these styles so much, but it is
NOT what it's like for me. Instead, I'm never sure what I want, I get
clammy and dizzy, I make awkward-dorky conversation, I've been known
to cry in the dressing room over a mound of ill-fitting jeans, I
consistently wear the wrong underwear to sample sales and I worry
constantly and irrationally that I am going to get lipstick on a $400
blouse, or worse, B.O.
Part of the reason I love shopping on eBay, Etsy, and, heck, near any space online, is to compensate for this in-store shopping handicap. Risky or not, I'd so much rather deal with the awkwardness of something not being right (including my underwear) in the privacy of my own apartment. And lately, when those kind strangers ask me for tips on amazing, out-in-the world shopping, I lean in conspiratorially and whisper, "I don't know about that, but I can help you find some incredible deals on eBay." Like Dolce Vita sandals, which I am currently buying by the armful, at deeply discounted, non-bricks-and-mortar store prices.
I'm curious, readers: What's your shopping style?
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