Retail therapy is for anyone.
Sometimes when stressed, people turn to shopping, which provides a temporary anesthetic to negative feelings, said April Benson, psychologist and author of numerous books on consumer spending habits. She added that online shopping, once only popular among women, is now increasingly done by both genders.
Many students at Duke have said they use shopping trips off campus as a way to escape from classes, homework and campus life. The occasional trip to the Streets at Southpoint or Brightleaf Square can be a welcome relief, though for more serious shopping, most students said they wait until returning home on break, or they use retail Web sites.
In the increasingly difficult financial times, Benson said people are more frequently shopping to reduce stress.
"Shopping is considered a smiled upon addiction because consumption fuels the economy," she said, adding that these habits are now much more of a problem for individuals because of the recession.
Sophomore Dana Oppermann said she mainly shops online, but sometimes ventures out to stores for smaller purchases.
"While I'm at school I usually use online shopping rather than going to an actual store," Oppermann said. "Usually the stores I like at home are the stores I visit online just because I know the sizes and pricing.... [But] if I'm out, I'll just go to Southpoint."
Benson said lots of habits can be hard to break, particularly ones reinforced by society. For college students, the temptation to use retail therapy can be a hard one to ignore.
"I think that for college students, its a big problem because you're off on your own, away from home," Benson said. "It may be the first time you've had a credit card, [it] may be the first time you're negotiating paying your own bills."
Junior Emily Liu said overspending and shopping is not a large problem for her because she rarely shops online and does not have a car on campus.
"I do love shopping because it takes away the everyday stresses of school," she said. "If I had a car, I would definitely do more shopping while at school."
Though larger stores with online options remain the most popular choices amongst Duke students, some do utilize the smaller boutiques Durham offers.
"I like Ninth Street for gifts because I can find unique stuff there," senior Toni Helbling said.
Oppermann also has tried the local scene.
"I've gone to a few stores on Ninth Street, generally not for clothes," she said. Opperman added that she thinks the stores have less variety than larger stores and do not suit her personal taste.
Benson noted that psychology also plays a role in the appeal of shopping.
"What are the authentic underlying emotional needs we all have that are coming out in this behavior," she said, adding that shoppers could be trying to satisfy a need to belong, to gain others' esteem or to improve their own self-esteem.
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