görüşünüin school had one and my parents (rightly so) thought it was too expensive for a teenager’s book bag. I finally dragged my mom to a sample sale and got one on sale.

Do you consider your bag purchases investments? Evet! I have quite a bit of experience with the resale market and I will only buy bags now with good resale value, so they’re investments in that sense.

Who influences your buying decisions? firstly aesthetics and whether I like the design. Secondly, resale value, which I guess is driven by influencers, brand, etc.

Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? not for bags because I buy secondhand. definitely for jewelry. They let me know when new collections become available and are just a text away.

Why do you enjoy shopping, beyond just acquiring something new? In the deepest sense, shopping is sort of like investing in my future self. There’s an image of myself I want to achieve and part of it is developing a certain outward appearance. but yeah I definitely practice retail therapy.

Have you ever felt like you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity or gender? I think Chinese people are the biggest spenders by ethnicity right now. almost every luxury store has a Chinese-speaking salesperson. So I feel like I’ve gotten superior service sometimes because I’m Chinese. but also I’ve seen salespeople treat me and other Asians as inferior because of racism or perceived stereotypes about our behavior or taste.

The Money

Who pays for your bags? Ben mi. and I try to only use discretionary funds like a work reward or money made by reselling other items.

Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? No. I set a limit on how much I’m willing to spend for a particular bag though since I buy secondhand.

The Taboo Topics

Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? I bought fake Chanel espadrilles in Shanghai a few years back. I try not to now because of respect for intellectual home and design. plus you can almost always find what you want on a secondhand website for less than retail anyway.

Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? No but I don’t openly talk about it or tell them every time I buy something since I’m using my own money.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to afford a bag? I think it was crazy to use my work reward to buy a Chanel bag as a first-year analyst. It cost like 5% of my annual salary at the time.

Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? I used to do a lot more retail therapy in my late teens and early 20s. With age and experience, I’ve learned that how I look isn’t as important as how I feel and one doesn’t always compensate for the other.

Kalanı

Any other expensive hobbies or passions? jewelry lately. It’s a much better investment than bags. and restaurants- I spend the most money every month eating out, there’s so much good food in NYC