5 Signs You Might Have a Shopping Addiction (2026)
Saving money on signs might have shopping does not have to be complicated. We rounded up the essentials so you can spend less and skip the guesswork.
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Shopping can transition into an addiction if you start using aimless purchases to fill an emotional or social void. If you think you or someone you love might have a shopping addiction, here's how you can identify and manage it.
Written by Ben Huber Last Updated: July 22, 2025 Reviewed by Jana LynchMost of us get carried away with our spending from time to time.
Maybe you sometimes purchase an extra item at the grocery store or indulge in some retail therapy. But there’s a fine line between shopping for fun and having a full-blown shopping addiction. Labeling yourself or someone else as a shopping addict may sound harsh, but it’s a serious condition. In fact, at least 6% of the U.S. population is believed to have a shopping addiction.[1]
On the surface, shopping regularly seems like a harmless activity. However, it can transition into an addiction if you start using aimless purchases to fill an emotional or social void.
If you think you or someone you love might have a shopping addiction, it’s key to know the signs and what to do to recover from it.
Impulsive vs. Compulsive Shopping
When it comes to making purchases, some people use the terms impulsive and compulsive interchangeably. However, they actually mean two different things.
According to Carrie Rattle, Compulsive Shopping Specialist and CEO and founder of Behavioral Cents explains, the “primary difference is that with compulsive shopping, the urge to purchase comes from within. The shopper may have an emotion they can’t deal with or a need to fill a void. Impulsive shopping is triggered by external forces.”
Compulsive shopping
Rattle says that shopping addictions are compulsive but frequently referred to as the ‘smiled upon’ addiction.
“Alcoholics need help, a person on drugs [may] end up killing themselves one day, but if you have a shopping addiction, it’s somehow the lesser evil because shopping supports the economy,” she says.
Like other addictions, though, compulsive shopping is just as problematic. It can have long-term effects on someone’s work, finances, relationships, and mental health.
Impulsive shopping
Rattle defines impulsive shopping as the type of shopping that numerous of us do from day to day. For example, grabbing the latest issue of a magazine while you’re waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store or buying the daily deal from Amazon would be classified as impulsive shopping
“There are times when you may be triggered by a sale or discount and run out to the store to grab that item, thus acting on the impulse or emotion you feel,” she says.
In other words, if you’re shopping and purchase something that puts you a little over budget, it may not have a significant effect on your debt level, social life, or relationships with others.
How to Spot a Shopping Addiction
Not everyone who is a compulsive shopper is a shopping addict. However, it’s key to know the signs so you can identify when regular shopping becomes a serious problem.
1. You can’t stop buying things despite being in debt
If you’ve ever been in debt, going shopping may have been the last thing on your mind , unless you have a shopping addiction.
Rattle says that clients who come to see her are frequently at their lowest points financially due to compulsive shopping. Their credit cards are maxed out and they can’t refinance or get new cards so they feel “boxed in.”
A person with a shopping addiction may find themselves working extremely hard to pay off their debts. Or they may pick up overtime or tack on a side hustle so they have more money to keep buying things. The additional income is generally used to fuel their shopping rather than other financial obligations.
2. You don’t wear or use everything you’ve bought
If you’re buying things you don’t use or wear, and you already have an excessive amount of items, that’s another sign you might have a shopping addiction.
Adding onto the pile feeds the addiction, and it desensitizes you when you purchase new things.
Some people spend years shopping and collecting items that they know they’re not going to use or need. Still, the idea of making a purchase and having new things provides a sense of comfort.
3. You shop and purchase based primarily on emotions
Do you purchase things because you need them or are your purchases based on the emotions you feel or the emotions you want to feel?
Dr. April Benson from Shopaholic No More, is a psychologist who works with recovering shopaholics. She recommends that people stop and ask themselves why they’re really shopping and what emotional needs spending lets you soothe.
“It’s key to determine whether it’s love or affection that you need or the need for autonomy and the feeling of belonging,” Dr. Benson says.
While someone may purchase more stuff to feel happier or overcome an emotion like anger or sorrow, Dr. Benson explained, the positive rush you feel when you purchase new things frequently wears off after a while.
It’s simple to get emotions confused with impulses that can arise and disappear quickly. Impulse purchases may seem to provide short-term satisfaction and positive emotions; but again, this feeling doesn’t last, leaving a person to focus on their next shopping spree to serve as a pick-me-up.
4. You experience a rush of adrenaline
Most of us occasionally experience the rush that comes from shopping and buying new things. However, rather than feeling excited to use a new gadget or read a new book, compulsive shoppers feel an emotionally soothing high when they purchase new items. The purchases are to fill a need or void rather than for practical purposes.
If you’re dependent on your desire to shop, you may feel anxious or down on the days when you don’t shop. This is a clear indication that you may be dealing with an addiction.
5. Your relationships start to suffer
During her time as a Compulsive Shopping Specialist, Rattle noticed the toll a shopping addiction can have on relationships.
“It’s common for someone with a shopping addiction to notice their work and relationships suffer as social interaction may decrease,” she says. “If you’re at work, you may put off projects just to go shop on your lunch break or spend too much time working to pay off your credit card bills that your friendships dissolve.”
Signs your shopping is affecting your life include feeling guilty about the time or money spent shopping, working long hours to pay bills and leaving no time for friends or loved ones, and continuing to purchase things you don’t use at the expense of other financial or familial obligations.
Another indication is that you feel the need to hide your purchases from loved ones or are nervous someone will catch you shopping. Whatever your reason for hiding purchases , guilt, fear, shame, avoidance , this paves the way for issues like financial infidelity to arise.
In other words, if your compulsive shopping is affecting your job, relationships, ability to socialize, and prevents you from performing normal life obligations, there’s a good chance you have a shopping addiction.
Related: 4 Reasons You Should Never Lend Money to Friends or Family
How to Stop a Shopping Addiction
If you feel you have a shopping addiction, there are steps you can take to get better.
Inventory your purchases
It might be difficult at first, but you’ll need to take stock of what you’ve bought. Go through your closet, garage, or basement for items that still have tags or are still in bo
Final Thoughts
Before you check out, double-check signs might have shopping against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.
Originally published at dollarsprout.com.
Ben Huber
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