“WHY don’t you go and get some good old fashioned retail therapy,” I smiled, but my grin slowly disintegrated when I saw the look on her face. “Therapy?” I could tell that I had touched a nerve or maybe two or three. I laughed nervously.

The woman, who I had only met moments before on a train bound for Glasgow, had uninvitedly begun telling me about the chaotic day she was having. And while I sought to provide her with some comfort alongside my sympathetic ear, clearly the notion that shopping could even come close to a therapy session had only ruined her day further.

As I cautiously turned my gaze back to the magazine I was reading, I got to thinking about why some people hate shopping so much. It was announced last year that one in every £5 spent in UK shops is now online and if the reaction to browsing the rails as a way to relax is anything like that of my retail-resenting travel companion, then it’s no surprise that this is the case.

I guess as therapeutic as I often find the physical act of seeking new additions to my ever-expanding wardrobe, there is a long and also ever-expanding list of things that I too can’t stand about retail.

The worst of all for me is make-up stains smeared all over once perfectly crisp garments. Then to add insult to injury, there’s the people that insist they should receive money off because said items are laden with orange stains around the neckline. I mean it really isn’t difficult to take the time to lift a T-shirt carefully over your ‘caked’ face.

Perhaps being a little unfair on shop assistants, another thing I absolutely hate is being asked if I “would like help with anything?” I’m not sure why but it always makes me feel like a criminal. It’s as if their probably genuine question is really asking me what I’m doing in there and if I plan on robbing the place blind. Maybe this stems from the scene in Pretty Woman where those stuck up shop assistants are horrible to Julia Roberts. My advice would be to consider, before you ask me if you can help me, that if I wanted your help I would probably ask for it.

On a similar note, I can’t stand awkward till chat. Retail workers always feel the need to make some rehearsed comment about your purchases - the same one they probably used on the 100 other people that they have scanned items for that day. “Lovely wee top isn’t it?” Actually, no I think it’s hideous and I’m just buying it for a laugh.

I could go on but thinking about it is actually beginning to put me off the lovely shopping trip I had planned.

Until next time, stay stylish Glasgow.