Whenever I enter a store, I can feel the almost-addictive impulse to rush through the aisles towards the clothing racks in the back that stand tantalizing me. Under a bright red or orange sign, they shout, “CLEARANCE: up to 75% off!” Instead of losing my cool and running straight to these racks, I try to maintain my composure and calmly think through my shopping route, which I determine by mapping out the store depending on which items I really came to buy. Still, looking through the clearance racks rarely, or basically never, ends up last on my itinerary.
When I do arrive at the clearance section, I wildly flip through the clothing items hanging there. I feel as if I have to work extra quickly so that someone else will not come by and snatch the great deal that I just hadn’t gotten to yet. When I see a price tag labeled $3.00, it sends adrenaline up and down my spine. It is somehow awe-inspiring to see an item that was originally twenty dollars that now has four orange clearance stickers piled on top of each other. I can hardly contain myself as I search through the racks to see if there is a great deal hidden there somewhere.
I have to admit that these thoughts sound a little crazy. Reading this, you might think that I was exaggerating. Unfortunately, this is an accurate depiction of what actually goes through my mind at some stores. Is this normal behavior? Or, at least is it normal behavior for a female?
I have a hard time thinking that I am the only one who feels so drawn to these clearance racks. After all, companies know that people can get this way. They prey on this. That is why stores have learned to keep clearance racks in the back of the store, so that thrill-seekers like me have to walk through the regularly-priced clothing to get to them. And really, those big bright signs are actually screaming, aren’t they?