There are so many phrases I really don’t understand. “Gym junkie” is one. “Internet influencer” is another. But the hardest to understand is “retail therapy”. This is the idea that shopping is fun and can be used to improve a dismal mood.First, there are the prices. Sometimes, reading the advertisements in the newspaper, I find myself snorting tea out my nose.
When I was a young man, in the decade known as the 1970s, the “second cheapest” mantra guided me to the marvel that is International Roast coffee. It was cheap, but not as cheap as Pablo. If you added sugar to a spoonful of International Roast, then a splash of milk, and then worked the combo into a frothy paste before adding the boiling water, it was almost as good as a store-bought cappuccino. And it was much cheaper.
I decide to return to the matter of the newspaper advertisement. I say to Jocasta: “But don’t you agree the prices are a bit steep?” This coffee machine is either a five-star thing of wonder or quite the worst product that’s ever been placed on the market. After an hour of reading reviews, each contradicting the last, you’ll lose all faith in humanity, limping off to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of International Roast.
The Romans knew all about 'bread and circuses' to keep the masses distracted/entertained. Our family only buys 'supermarket own' brand whenever possible, so we don't understand why there's a *need* for, by way of example, multiple brands of instant coffee or laundry detergent