Sharon Miller's virtual world of online shopping
Clothes and fashion are important to me. When i was a child, my mum had mail-order catalogues. I liked to look at them and make long lists of the clothes I wanted. Of course, my mum didn't buy them. She couldn't. She didn't have the money.
When I got older, I started buying my own clothes. I spent happy hours at the bargain counters of big department stores in Manchester. Then, when I was 16, I discovered a 'nearly-new' shop in King Street. My first purchase there was a faboulous blouse in the lastest fashion colours for just 30 Pounds.
After that, I went there every week. The clothes were cheaper than in ordinary shops and often much better quality. You see, a lot of rich, fashion-conscious women sometimes wear really expensive clothes only once. And I wanted to be like those women. I wanted the coolest and smartest and most fashionable clothes, you know, exclusive Italian designer labels like Versace, Armani and Gucci – and I wanted my wardrobe to be full of them.
When I was 18, I discovered the thrill of eBay. I always thought eBay was just for techno freaks, but how wrong I was! Once I bought a lovely Armani cocktail dress in pure silk for just 4.99 Pounds!
Soon I was doing all my shopping online – not just on eBay, but at top designer sites as well.
But I spent more money than I had – much, much more money. With a credit card, it was so easy. I just clicked the mouse – click, click, click into the virtual shopping trolley. But in the meantime I've run up debts of over 4500 Pounds. And they aren't virtual, they're real.