Retail Therapy was one of those senseless phases which became popular during the boom years of the Celtic Tiger.
You weren't feeling well - shopping will make you feel better.
You had a bad day at work - then buy something to cheer yourself up.
You had a row at home - spend some money - aren't you worth it?
Now no one is indulging in retail therapy and there are probably many who wish they hadn't.
This, of course, isn't good news for shop keepers, who have also found their businesses struggling due to competition from the big out of town shopping centres and on-line retailers.
In Drogheda again for work, I went for a short walk during my lunch break, and came across this forlorn stretch of empty shops on one of the main streets leading to the town centre.