Professional women these days are extremely busy juggling work, family, parenting, exercising, friendships, and other obligations, so they don’t have a lot of time to spend shopping. Now that online shopping is the norm, it is a tremendous help to female professionals whose new lifestyles mean that they buy nearly everything online, from clothes and shoes to handbags, accessories—even groceries.
Online shopping is attractive because of the rich variety of options that it provides, and when you combine that with the great prices you can get, it only makes sense that consumer behaviors have changed so much. That’s why it’s become commonplace for people to check things out in a physical store, try on clothes or shoes, and then go home and buy the things they like online. The result is that department stores and clothing boutiques in town function more like showrooms than shops.
Lifestyles in Milan changed even more when the coronavirus hit.
The strict lockdown that lasted three months affected many different aspects of life. The people of Milan, who usually spent most of their time at the office and weekends at their second homes in the country, taking it easy by shopping, participating in outdoor activities, or dining out with friends, were suddenly trapped in their homes for three months during the lockdown. They weren’t just shut in, however—everything changed instantly, with each family member now requiring their own device and space to work from home, take online classes, and so on. When the lockdown was lifted, many people bolted out of their houses so fast it was like they were running away from home.
Movie theaters, which were forced to shutter for about a year, reopened the other day. People lined up in front of them before dawn, and tickets were sold out by six in the morning—which shows you just how badly the Milanese wanted to get out. They were probably pretty tired of Netflix after watching it exclusively for a year.
Another interesting trend is the current popularity of real estate in the Milan suburbs. With many people still working remotely, a lot of Milanese are still spending a lot of time at home, and have decided to flee to greener suburban areas. It’s perfect for the way life is these days, since getting out of the city makes it easier to find a roomy house with a garden and give every family member enough space to live comfortably and avoid stepping on one another’s toes.
It’s fascinating to watch times change up close. A few years ago home prices in the Milanese suburbs were falling, but now that they’re so popular, we’re likely to see things change yet again.
