LAST MONTH, ALICE treated herself to a little trinket. Getting dressed for a night out with the girls, she put on a new Matthew Williamson dress, Jimmy Choo shoes and her favourite peridot ring.
But a last-minute appraisal left her feeling that something was still missing - and she knew what it was. On her way into Central she popped into Prince's Building and bought herself the finishing touch: a $38,000 lime peridot necklace.
Alice loves to shop. She adores Dolce & Gabbana, Collette Dinnigan and Prada, but her shopping isn't limited to designer labels. Buying a $900 cake for her daughter's birthday last week, she spotted a large cake stand she simply had to have - you never know when you might need to display 38 cup cakes at once. She left the store having spent more than $5,000.
And a holiday just isn't a holiday for Alice without some retail therapy. Frustrated at the lack of boutiques on a luxurious Australian resort island, Alice found herself compulsively buying magazines and treats from the small hotel gift shop. 'I got to Cairns International Airport and spent thousands of dollars before flying home,' says Alice. 'I miss shopping if I don't go for a week.'
Alice's behaviour may not be unusual in a town of excess such as Hong Kong. Psychologist Susan Mistler says that what's socially accepted in a big city may be seen as over the top elsewhere. If you shop simply to have fun and you have the means, she says, then why not? Problems arise when spending money becomes a habit you have no control over.
'I would say addiction is any behaviour that's self-destructive and done repetitively, where the elements are an unhealthy response to discomfort that the person is experiencing. They seek pleasure pathologically and compulsively. It becomes a habit that people aren't in control of, instead it starts to control them.'