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If you're celebrating St. Patrick's day today, odds are you're already drunk. If you're not taking part in the festivities, there's a chance you're holed away somewhere avoiding the drunken masses. Either way, it's a great excuse to do some online shopping.
Quartz reports that about 78% of Americans will make a purchase that isn't related to alcohol when they've had a few too many. Which isn't all too surprising considering that alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes even the measliest of bank accounts look like Billy Gates's.
However, Quartz digs even deeper into Finder.com's study to identify the types of products we buy when intoxicated, and that's where things get a bit more interesting. The study found that the most popular drunk buys fall into the apparel and shoes category. 9% of Americans shop for apparel and shoes when drunk, which breaks down to 8% of men and 10% of women.
The optimist in us says these are items people have had their eyes on and finally pulled the trigger on when drunk. The realist bets these are replacement items for shoes lost and apparel ruined by people throwing up green beer.
Finder.com's CEO tells Quartz that most of these purchases are probably in the feeling-good camp. "When people start drinking, they lose their inhibition and good judgment, and blow-outs tend to be on items that make them feel good," Fred Schebesta says. "Spending on clothing and shoes is often not a need, but a want, and we give into temptation more often when drunk."
The second biggest expenditure for tipsy Americans is gambling and cigarettes at 8%, followed by movie purchases at 5%. The most intriguing category is pets, which 2% of DrunkMericans purchase. We'd love to see the morning after for those people.
So tonight, go out, be merry, and spend a bunch of money you don't have. Just going to leave our Spring shopping guide rightttt hereeee.