AUTISM AND SHOPPING |PurpleElla

I can add - I hate shopping together with someone. I want to move at my pace and not deal with what they want to look at. And if I need 20 minutes to choose, i do not want anyone to stand there and make me anxious

Supermarkets are hell. Online ordering and delivery saved my life. My partner kindly picks up little bits and pieces on his way home from work. If I MUST go to the shops, I go late at night to avoid crowds and with headphones/sunglasses

I have so much anxiety about making the wrong choice when shopping. Now I know why. Thank you.

I agree about feeling bad for other items! It wasn't centred much on shopping, but when I was little, I'd have a very difficult time settling down for bed if I didn't have EVERY teddy/soft toy I had somewhere on my bed, otherwise I'd feel awful for not showing my appreciation for them!

My daughter is undiagnosed and I think she may be on the spectrum. She gets emotionally attached to objects as you described. She explained it exactly as you did

Shopping like this sends me into a meltdown. I’ve had that happen, drop everything I was going to buy and storm out. It takes me a while to get my mood back to normal

Omg I already commented but then you said something that made me so happy! I also feel like the items I'm not getting are sad. Especially if I pick something up and then grab another item I'll feel bad for not getting the first one. Like I'm hurting their feelings. I've never heard anyone else that does this. I'm so relieved. I thought I was crazy lol. I also use to buy the broken or defective toys and stuff when I was little (and still do) because I felt like no one else would buy them and they'd be sad. A shop lady once talked me into getting binoculars over a duck because he was missing an eye. Half way home I started crying because I abandoned the duck and my parents had to turn around and return the binoculars and exchange them for the duck. Still have him too lol.

6:35. ...I’ve never heard anyone say anything like that before...”I feel bad for the things I don’t buy” OMg, I get it... As a child I loved my dolls as if they were real. I adored my first cabbage patch kid, then I got a second and I loved my two cabbage patch kids. Then I got twin cabbage patch kids. (All over the course of a few years) ...it stressed me out. I felt massively guilty for not being able to have the bandwidth to love and appreciate ALL the dolls...always thought that was kinda strange... I was like that with friends too, anymore than two friends(as well as me) and I could not deal...to many factors... I completely relate to all you’ve mentioned....I get so distracted and/or engrossed at some stores I will shop for hours and accomplish nothing , or find myself at the end with random things that I saw along the way that provoked ideas about how I would use said things. Sometimes, said things would be used, sometimes not...simply put, it’s freaking exhausting!! So I avoid it when ever possible... I just realized, I wait till last second to get presents...prob to avoid the endless circling of my mind (and body) ...such a waste of time and sometimes money..... Ah!

One thing I would add is that a lot of us have problems with shopping compulsions because of our collecting.

At 58 I’m finding out I have ADHD and Autism! Since a child, I felt badly for “things”. I also can relate to sensory overload, I call it that too. I’m really enjoying your videos from a woman’s POV.

As a teenager my best friends and I would go into the city, they would buy a few items here and there, one in this shop, three in the next etc. I would DRIVE THEM MAD. As I would have to try everything on, I would try on 5 items here, 4 there, 3 in there. After we had visited all the shops we had planned, I would then evaluate which of all the items was "worth" it the most. It really could tale me hours to decide, I may have had to go back in to two of the shops to check the two items again just to see which I deemed was the better. I also have to wear things out. My paetner got me a new phone last Christmas and mine was still fully functional and although I appreciate and use it, I always use everything till it no longer is usable, I have some items of clothes that are 10-15 years old! I really relate to so much of this

"It's really got to be that level of excitement. Otherwise, I can't have it." - And if I do have that level of excitement and don't get the thing, I may not forget it. Especially if I go to the place I left the thing. There was a dress that I wanted at the mall 3 years ago. I had the required amount of money. Talked myself out of it because I'd almost never wear it because it was TOO nice and I'd get scared of it being damaged. 3 years later, I have a really hard time being in the mall, wondering how long the dress sat and then probably went home with someone who didn't treat it like the king of all dresses. 😣

For years and years I carried a list with me everywhere. I would take a piece of printer paper, split it in half long ways and then have 2 strips. I'd use 1 strip a week. Weekly tasks on one side and a menu/grocery list on the other. Any unfinished tasks or uneaten meals would just carry over to my new list the next week. I didn't realize that what I was actually doing was bullet journaling. So, now I have a book and each page contains what my previous paper list would. This is helpful because I can look back through time and see what we did and what we ate if I'm running low on ideas. Though, it does mean I still have to create a shopping list to carry with me. I absolutely do not go without a list and self-checkout lines are preferred. I always buy toilet paper and dishwasher tabs online and in bulk. I cannot stand in a store and work out the maths on how many sheets are in each pack and whether or not I need 48 extra strength tabs or 96 original ones.

I'm autistic and have problems with supermarket shopping. Its mostly sensory overload and not being able to find things because of distractions. However some supermarkets use the sunflower lanyard scheme that I've found extremely helpful. All you've got to do is put the lanyard round your neck when you walk in. If you're looking a bit lost or if you ask for help the staff are extra helpful when they see the lanyard and will generally come with you finding all the remaining things on your list. Thanks to this scheme I can get a big load of shopping and its a nice experience.

I think everyone forgets what they were trying to buy or shop for. That's why everyone on budgeting blogs or websites always say to write down a list before you go to the store. That might also help some people with anxiety and that way you don't get so overwhelmed you can just focus on those few things.? Worth a shot

I won’t go shopping, my husband does it all. I frequently enjoy shopping online, no queues, no lights, no annoying noise or people, it’s perfect for me especially at times when I just cannot adult or NT.

I always wear my noise cancelling earphones when shopping, helps with the noise and discourages clerks from approaching you.

I detest everything about the shopping experience. Going with someone else makes it worse because I will put their needs ahead of mine, so for instance, I might forego what I came for if looking for it means they have to wait. At any rate, I will feel uncomfortable being my weird self and have them see it. It takes so much effort and energy pretending to be normal in public. Unfortunately, shopping online makes me extremely nervous and frustrated. I am not tech savvy and never feel confident that things will arrive, my payment will be safe, or that items may arrive damaged or poor quality. One day, I am going to end up with my house falling down, no clothes and no food 😂

One of my best shopping experiences ever was being let into a specialty shop for a private shopping spree after hours. Before online shopping became a thing, I would dream of doing all my shopping after hours, unbothered by other shoppers or shop employees. I still wish I could do this for things that I want to actually touch / try out before buying.

Ella, you are my saviour: I either go shopping early or late.. Avoid midday like the plague X