Diary of a Shopaholic

25 Nov: Am off on a shopping trip with the girls to New York. Yeeehoo!  

26 Nov: First destination: Woodbury Commons—a gigantic space of an outlet, selling anything from Salvatore Ferragamo to Banana Republic, Tod’s to YSL, Burberry to Converse.  (Why the hell did I wear these unbearable super-wedges?  Man, they hurt).  Night tour of Empire State Building.

27 Nov:  Exhausted from first day’s shopping madness, chilling out at the hotel (conveniently located and reasonably priced) admiring my new Diane von Fürstenberg dress: a bounty from yesterday’s loot and a snip at $100…Girls have joined a half-day tour of NY and a Thanksgiving dinner afterwards.  Couldn’t bother with either.  Must focus on the real reason I’m here…plus I need the money for tomorrow’s spree.

28 Nov: It’s Black Friday!  We’re silently gathered at the reception at 2 a.m. in the morning and head to the mall.  (That’s right people.  One has to suffer for one’s addiction: shopping, in my case).  Still worth it to get my hand on that new Wii Music game. 

29 Nov: A tour of the sacred places of worship of New York (Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth, etc.)  Also somewhere called Jersey Gardens, which, by now you should’ve guessed, turns out to be not a garden, but another nest for early shopping birds to spend more cash.    

30 Nov: Back to Istanbul with a heavy suitcase and a much lighter bank account.  Sigh:(((      
ETS organises a NY outlet shopping tour between Tue.-Sun., 25-30 Nov., to coincide with Black Friday (28 Nov.) when all America goes bonkers every year with prices slashed up to 80%.  Call 444 0 387 or click on etstur.com.  The movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic starring Isla Fisher is out in Feb. 2009.    
Contributed by Banu Tuna.