TIP: Its a disease I swear...

It is. I'm talking about shopping. You know what I mean. Its contagious, chronic, painful. And maybe its not airborne, but its certainly eye-borne - "see it gotta have it, hold it gotta own it". Why is it that 352 black tops aren't enough, you gotta have 353? How is it that a return plane ticket from North America to Europe equals a pair of you-know-who's stilettos?

For all of us 'invalids', here are some suggested ways to convalesce in NY city. (and since today kicks off tax-free shopping week I guess its only fitting no?)

Sample Sales - This isn't one of New York's best kept secrets anymore. Thanks to websites like dailycandy.com, topbutton.com and others, you can figure out just when to be in the right place at the right time to get that 90% discount on designer duds. And these are not seconds or overruns or damaged goods - these are usually sold in the middle of a season (when stuff is sometimes even still in retail stores) as companies need lead time to prepare for the next season's stock. A lot of designers in recent years have also taken to having public sample sales (ie ones that aren't reserved only for their staff and preferred customers) - Timeout lists these every week so check the magazine religiously. Oh, and just a hint..if it says sale starts at 8am, you want to be there, IN LINE, at 7.

Century 21 (Cortlandt St, opposite Ground Zero) - As discount places go this seems to be the perennial tourist favourite. I really don't know why. It has a pretty decent men's dept, but honestly the women's stuff is pretty dismal. And you have to rummage and elbow-wrestle and pray that the one nice skirt you found under the purple pants, green jeans, child's t-shirt and black knickers is at least in the vicinity of your size. The shoe section is huge, but don't expect many deep designer discounts. But as I said, it does have good discounts on menswear, and if you go at lunch time on a weekday, a pretty good selection also of some tasty Wall Street eye candy.

Loehmann's (7th Ave and 16th St, www.loehmanns.com) - Ok, now we're talking. To me, this is the place to go for decent fashion at decent prices. Mainstream designers, newish designers, they have a good mix of it all. The prices will astound you. Great shoe dept - they often have Kate Spade shoes at 50% off for eg.

Designer Shoe Warehouse and Filene's Basement - DSW has row upon row of shoes, and you'll really be surprised at what you can find, and discounts are really quite decent. Filene's Basement is a little like Century 21, but if you're willing to rummage there's gold to be had. These two stores are next to each other at Union Square for some back to back shopping.

Nolita, Soho (take the 6 to Spring St, or the N,R to Prince St) - If you only have a little time in NY, don't waste it going to a dept store like Macy's or Bloomingdales, you'll only find things you can get back home. Try the Nolita and Soho shopping areas. Loads of shops (highstreet, urban street, new and old designers), and much more fun to walk around. The shops in Nolita aren't the cheapest, but you'll definitely find stuff that's unique and interesting. Same goes for Soho although you can always get a reality check in Old Navy, H&M and Banana Republic if necessary. And if you're thirsty, you can always go to Cafe Gitane (Mott and Prince), my favouritest cafe in the world, or the Kitchen Club nearby, my second favouritest cafe in the world.

Vintage - Gorgeous unwanted other-people's clothing can be found all over the city. The East Village is crawling with vintage clothing shops, some crap and some with real quality stuff tucked in the back. Try the weekend flea markets as well - eg. Upper West Side, Sundays, 79th and Columbus. And a few times a year, Manhattan Vintage holds its gigantic shows in an exhibition space - see www.manhattanvintage.com - if you're into interesting outfits that are in great condition, you have to check this out.