Well, much hasn’t changed in two hundred years! For women eager to find a pastime, ‘ladies shopping’ in Victorian London was the female equivalent to men’s sports. The best shopping locations were bazaars, which were good for perfumes and fancy trinkets, and fashionable streets, which were good for fine hosiery and jewelry. Being a lady of fashion was another part of ‘ladies shopping.’ A lady of fashion did not leave her carriage or omnibus; instead, regardless of weather, she was serviced directly by the saleswoman. Ladies shopped around and haggled until they found the best price for what they wanted.
The concept of ‘shopping for joy’ still exists today. For example, magazines and advertisements constantly bombard people with the need to own and shop for new, cooler merchandise. I can honestly say that I love shopping (for a discount); sometimes, if something is on sale, I try and convince myself that I need it.
Works Cited: Jackson, Lee. http://www.victorianlondon.org/index-2012.htm Accessed 27 August 2015.
Great post, and really interesting that women of fashion didn’t leave the carriages that they were traveling in, but rather had the salesclerks catering to them and that the ladies even haggled for lower prices. I had thought that shopping around was pretty much the same in regards to shopping in society today, never thought something like that was culturally different. I didn’t know little tidbits like that!
This really makes me want to go shopping in Victorian London now (not that I could afford any of these things!). I like the concept of “shopping for joy,” and it makes me wonder, what were Victorian Women compensating for? Were they less satisfied with their lives so they had to shop till they dropped to prove something? I think this is definitely something that could be explored and discussed even more.