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| Should We Still Go Shopping (Online)? | Should We Still Go Shopping (Online)? |
| (3 days later) | |
| Every day, since late last week, the emails have been landing in my inbox. “New Sale Markdowns!” “Enjoy an additional 20% off!” “Flash 40% Off Sale!” | Every day, since late last week, the emails have been landing in my inbox. “New Sale Markdowns!” “Enjoy an additional 20% off!” “Flash 40% Off Sale!” |
| They are discomfiting and tempting, catnip to boredom and cabin fever. I’d rather look longingly at clothes I am no longer wearing, imagining a time when they are once again a part of my life (parties! work events! restaurants!) than face reality (stories of trauma, hospital shortages, businesses on the brink of bankruptcy). | They are discomfiting and tempting, catnip to boredom and cabin fever. I’d rather look longingly at clothes I am no longer wearing, imagining a time when they are once again a part of my life (parties! work events! restaurants!) than face reality (stories of trauma, hospital shortages, businesses on the brink of bankruptcy). |
| I’d rather consider the allure of a fleece and silk knit — so much cheaper than normal! — and how they make me feel swaddled and safe (maybe they’re worth it?) than consider the stock market plunges and the fact I probably should be saving everything I can right now. | I’d rather consider the allure of a fleece and silk knit — so much cheaper than normal! — and how they make me feel swaddled and safe (maybe they’re worth it?) than consider the stock market plunges and the fact I probably should be saving everything I can right now. |
| Yet shopping during a pandemic seems just the other side of wrong. | Yet shopping during a pandemic seems just the other side of wrong. |
| There are people who are terribly sick and dying because of the new coronavirus. People losing family members. People losing jobs. Shopping is so … self-indulgent. So unnecessary. So, as one reader wrote to me, “shameful.” | There are people who are terribly sick and dying because of the new coronavirus. People losing family members. People losing jobs. Shopping is so … self-indulgent. So unnecessary. So, as one reader wrote to me, “shameful.” |
| Maybe. But it is also an essential part of our economy; retail an enormous source of employment and creative expression. In some ways, the state of shopping is a sign of the times. | Maybe. But it is also an essential part of our economy; retail an enormous source of employment and creative expression. In some ways, the state of shopping is a sign of the times. |
| When you see “25 percent off,” instead of seeing “DEAL,” you should actually see “WARNING.” | When you see “25 percent off,” instead of seeing “DEAL,” you should actually see “WARNING.” |
| And also “HELP." | And also “HELP." |
| It’s easy to lose track of where we are on the calendar when we are cooped up and weekends bleed into workdays, day into night, but we all know this is not sale time. | It’s easy to lose track of where we are on the calendar when we are cooped up and weekends bleed into workdays, day into night, but we all know this is not sale time. |
| This should be peak new merch time. This should be the time of year when, as Michael Kors once fantasized, sales assistants call their favorite clients and crow, “New stuff is here!” And because the magnolias are blooming, and everyone is feeling just a little tired of their winter wardrobe, it would be the time we run off to the stores to shop. | This should be peak new merch time. This should be the time of year when, as Michael Kors once fantasized, sales assistants call their favorite clients and crow, “New stuff is here!” And because the magnolias are blooming, and everyone is feeling just a little tired of their winter wardrobe, it would be the time we run off to the stores to shop. |
| This is not 25-40-60 percent off time. | This is not 25-40-60 percent off time. |
| Except it is, because this is crisis time. The stores are closed. Any retailers with an online presence are desperate to move inventory so that they are not stuck with out-of-season stock no one will want in two months when — if — the curve flattens and the doors reopen. And because online sales are the only source of revenue they have to keep their employees paid and their business afloat. | Except it is, because this is crisis time. The stores are closed. Any retailers with an online presence are desperate to move inventory so that they are not stuck with out-of-season stock no one will want in two months when — if — the curve flattens and the doors reopen. And because online sales are the only source of revenue they have to keep their employees paid and their business afloat. |
| The last time there was a retail situation like this — and it was not really like this but may be the only comparable time — was after 9/11, when life in New York ground to a halt, and shopping did, too. | The last time there was a retail situation like this — and it was not really like this but may be the only comparable time — was after 9/11, when life in New York ground to a halt, and shopping did, too. |
| Then, department stores, desperate to get people back into spending mode and make their holiday numbers (or anything that could be considered a number), began to put all of their stock on sale in November instead of after Christmas as usual. | Then, department stores, desperate to get people back into spending mode and make their holiday numbers (or anything that could be considered a number), began to put all of their stock on sale in November instead of after Christmas as usual. |
| In order to stay competitive, brands with their own stores had to drop their prices, too. It started a race to the bottom. And it set a precedent that stores and designers still bemoan all these years later. | In order to stay competitive, brands with their own stores had to drop their prices, too. It started a race to the bottom. And it set a precedent that stores and designers still bemoan all these years later. |
| We’re in the same dangerous place now. The big department stores and online sites have started selling new products at 20 percent off, marked down as soon as they arrive. They are also sending products back to designers without payment, refusing to accept new stock. | We’re in the same dangerous place now. The big department stores and online sites have started selling new products at 20 percent off, marked down as soon as they arrive. They are also sending products back to designers without payment, refusing to accept new stock. |
| Designers with their own sites are dropping prices to keep up. | Designers with their own sites are dropping prices to keep up. |
| And yet, as Sacha Rose, the chief executive of the British pajama brand Derek Rose, wrote in a recent email to clients, “Our online business is keeping us alive right now.” | And yet, as Sacha Rose, the chief executive of the British pajama brand Derek Rose, wrote in a recent email to clients, “Our online business is keeping us alive right now.” |
| They are not the only ones. Any small designer with a direct-to-consumer digital platform is clinging to it with their fingernails. | They are not the only ones. Any small designer with a direct-to-consumer digital platform is clinging to it with their fingernails. |
| After 9/11, George W. Bush urged everyone to go shopping. At first it seemed silly. But what he was really saying was: Redistribute the wealth. Get the economy going again. | After 9/11, George W. Bush urged everyone to go shopping. At first it seemed silly. But what he was really saying was: Redistribute the wealth. Get the economy going again. |
| Shopping now is as much a moral as a consumer question. Where you spend your money matters. Before you buy, think: What is this about? It could be about helping save a generation of small designers and independent businesses. | Shopping now is as much a moral as a consumer question. Where you spend your money matters. Before you buy, think: What is this about? It could be about helping save a generation of small designers and independent businesses. |
| Buying directly from a designer, as opposed to through a big multibrand chain or behemoth, means the profit (if any) goes directly to the designer, and their employees. Buying from an independent multibrand boutique is a way to keep this part of the ecosystem alive. Stand-alone stores with a singular point of view are often the key to finding and nurturing new talent. | Buying directly from a designer, as opposed to through a big multibrand chain or behemoth, means the profit (if any) goes directly to the designer, and their employees. Buying from an independent multibrand boutique is a way to keep this part of the ecosystem alive. Stand-alone stores with a singular point of view are often the key to finding and nurturing new talent. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Even liking them on Instagram helps. It’s the beginning of a consumer base, which is the beginning of an argument for credit. | Even liking them on Instagram helps. It’s the beginning of a consumer base, which is the beginning of an argument for credit. |
| I am not saying forsake the department stores. They have thousands of employees, who need to be paid. They also have a bigger cushion of liquidity. The luxury groups are in an even stronger position. And Amazon is experiencing a boom time. | I am not saying forsake the department stores. They have thousands of employees, who need to be paid. They also have a bigger cushion of liquidity. The luxury groups are in an even stronger position. And Amazon is experiencing a boom time. |
| But I am saying, consider the provenance and make an informed choice. That work-from-home loungewear that is being dangled so temptingly, so surprisingly affordably, before your screen-weary eyes? Those sweats and sneakers? That potholder? They represent labor and ideas, not just stuff. | But I am saying, consider the provenance and make an informed choice. That work-from-home loungewear that is being dangled so temptingly, so surprisingly affordably, before your screen-weary eyes? Those sweats and sneakers? That potholder? They represent labor and ideas, not just stuff. |
| Sometimes a fleece is only a fleece. And sometimes it can be a creative rescue line, and a bet on the future. | Sometimes a fleece is only a fleece. And sometimes it can be a creative rescue line, and a bet on the future. |