Gilt, not Guilt.

Karl and Mini-Karl are listening. Tread lightly.

Ugh, enough already.

Shopper's guilt is on the rise, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. It's hampering the luxury retail goods market, and our mood.

"It used to be about keeping up with the Joneses, and now it's about outsaving the Joneses," said Gilt Groupe co-founder Alexis Maybank of the recent spike, obviously related to our super-stagnant, completely and irrevocably fucked economy.

The article even goes on to elaborate on how the pang of guilt produced by the prefrontal cortex is the exact same one produced after a smoker finishes a cigarette. What it should really produce is the exact same reaction that occurs in our prefrontal cortices after we pound a bottle of Moet- "another plz."

A valid point the article makes is that "Browsing and buying release a variety of emotions. Selecting clothes and trying them on produces a high. When shopping feels good, that's the dopamine in your brain, the same euphoria that eating chocolate can generate."

Witchcraft, voodoo, and make-believe to be found in the article includes:

""Luxury shame"—epitomized by the showy act of walking out of a fancy store with a big shopping bag [and that's a bad thing?]—is one of the main reasons for the estimated 20% jump in online luxury sales this year."

"Another tactic for taking some of the guilt out of shopping—offering a charitable-giving component"

"Other companies are putting more emphasis on the "guilt-free shopping" that is said to come with buying environmentally safe products."

Wah, wah, wah.

Whatever happened to buying something just because? Because it's high quality? Because it's luxurious? Because you want it.

District L doesn't appreciate being made to feel like an arrogant turd for wanting to invest in luxury apparel and accessories without all of the environmental, philanthropic, and smarmy strings attached.

Stop crying before Karl hears you.