Shopping. Whether it’s the hunt for a mate or a bargain, the impulses are the same: Some of us peruse, others make snap decisions. Even those of us who are judicious in most matters reveal our true selves.
This week, we are delighted to introduce a new revelation-“Just One Thing” by Ellen Warren.
Longtime newspaper readers will recognize Ellen’s byline. She started in that legendary journalism boot camp, the City News Bureau of Chicago, was the late columnist Mike Royko’s first woman “legman” and has covered grand spectacles, including the royal wedding of Charles and Diana, and other kinds of spectacles, from the White House to the civil war in Lebanon and, closer to home, City Hall. A veteran of seven presidential elections, Ellen was the youngest person ever inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame.
In her most recent incarnation, she has been embedded in the world of retail. “Everybody’s a shopper,” she says. “It’s as basic as food and shelter.”
Ellen beckons readers with her “Shopping Adviser” column in the Tribune’s Thursday At Play section. Refining the art of shopping even further, she has created “Just One Thing,” a column that debuts in this week’s Magazine and focuses on a single item-usually bought, but sometimes just acquired. Every week, she’ll explore what that object reveals about those who seek-or receive-it. Ingenious, silly, vain, admirable, ridiculous-Ellen will tell you.
While shopping is a necessity, “it can also be a diversion, entertainment, a hobby,” she observes. For her, it’s all that and more. “Am I lucky or what-it’s even a job! And almost always, it’s a learning experience that makes for some terrific people-watching.”
If you’re hankering for more, no need to grab that credit card. Just join the conversation at chicagotribune.com/ellen.
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etaylor@tribune.com
