British department store Harvey Nichols has issued a warning to its customers about the dangers of doing exactly what they want you to do at their store: shop a lot.
“It’s not in our interest to have customers who shop until they drop,” said a spokesperson at Harvey Nichols. The company has apparently put out some sort of press release with Dr. Rosemary Leonard about how carrying too many bags can be very dangerous for you. British Vogue reports:
“It might sound silly, but carrying numerous bags can put untold physical pressure on a shopper’s body,” Dr Leonard said. “Restriction of the blood flow is common, which means people can experience tingling of the fingers and in more extreme cases numbness and even fainting – I often refer to this condition as ‘high-bag pressure’. Other symptoms an overburdened shopper could suffer from include pulled muscles, neck and wrist strain. As a practising GP I see more cases of shopping related stress injuries at times when the economy is experiencing a boom.”
What should you do to fix this issue? Spread out your bags along your arm – or just buy online! (Not buying at all is not an option for Harvey Nichols shoppers.) The store has gone one step further and created a wristband for shoppers to wear that says “stop shop zone” on it. That message is supposed to indicate to consumers that they should be using their arms to hold their bags, not their hands.
Lest you think this is just someone at British Vogue having a LOL and then jetting off to the British version of Hamptons because it’s Summer Friday (TAKE ME WITH YOU), this story has been reported in other outlets who appear to have gotten the same release.
FYI everything is on sale at Harvey Nichols right now. They encourage you to start shopping early.
Image via Harvey Nichols