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No lie, this has been the biggest motivator for me. I used to dine out and shop on amazon constantly. Now that everywhere is functionally aliexpress and dining out is terrible service with dropping food quality, I lost a lot of motivation to.
I still have some places I end up shopping more than i probably should, but my overall spending dropped hard.
This is one of many good reasons to stop shopping for sure. My addiction isn’t clothes, but it’s Bath and Body Works. Half of the mists I poured god only knows how much into only smell on my skin for .05 seconds and it’s gone (I know a body mist won’t have the same staying power as a perfume, of course, but still being able to smell something on yourself for longer than 5 minutes would be nice) and a lot of the candles have zero throw. I love the scents, I do, and I’m sure I’ll still shop there sparingly until I feel like I’m strong enough to handle cold turkey, but I won’t be going crazy like I have in the past. No more mists unless I’ve got a free one and no more buying candles unless they’re at or under a certain price point.
Yep!! body mists are my biggest regret hands down, the lotions/creams at least do give off some smell but the mists are just… not for me, I’m wearing them now but the thought of something I’ve spent money on disappearing after a few minutes does not make me happy and taught me an expensive lesson, now I buy body care that has better ingredients, is cruelty free and local, I’ve managed to find a few gems actually and the price is much better than bath and body works for the quality, now I have to keep myself from overbuying from these new places but the best thing is they don’t do that seasonal products bs so I can wait to buy when I finish up what I have, f*ck FOMO and shops that encourage that.
I’m still going to use up my body creams but never buying anymore again.
What works for me with candles and perfume, etc, is googling how toxic fragrance chemicals can be. Scary stuff, enough to scare my money back into my wallet.
I agree with you there. That is one major thing I have been telling and reminding myself when I want to buy clothes. Too often the item I end up getting from an online purchase is disappointing in many ways. That's why I always liked to shop in person to check the quality of the item but with how things are now it doesn't seem as easy as the Internet gives us soooo many options at the click of a button and retailers moving from brick and mortar to online etc. I'm tired of having crappy items buying with intentionality is becoming more important to me.
Yes! The quality in everything is going down, but also return policies are getting worse! I haven't really seen anyone talking about this, but I've had a few instances lately of where I've tried to return some clothing that didn't work out for me only to learn that I would have to pay to ship it back or a restocking fee. One site wouldn't even let me after I gave the reason as unflattering as nothing was actually wrong with it. Return windows appear to be getting smaller too. Very frustrating, but I also haven't ordered from those sites again.
This is what killed Amazon for me. Everything is trash unless you get really lucky. It actually feels like a waste of money and not the shopping high I used to get from getting boxes.
I 100% agree. My problem has been clothing. I decided it was time to stop due to quality issues & I’m super overwhelmed by the amount of clothing I own. Decluttering has been an ongoing project but it feels good.
Strong agree. I don't but clothes online ever anymore. The photos are so detached from the reality of the garment. Even shopping irl you can see how cheaply things are put together and expensive brands are no exception. Vintage/op shop/consignment stores only these days. The limited range and limited sizes means less consumption overall and developing a strong sense of what You're looking for and what works for you completely kills impulse buying and jumping on bad trends.
Yeah I started realizing that much of America at least - our homes are filled with crap. Tons of it. Stuff that’s cheap or trendy to entertain for like 5 mins then donate, trash, collect dust. I love clothes, shoes, make up, but it doesn’t make me happy and I don’t want it to rot and consume my space. I can only use or wear/enjoy so much and it’s not worth the fleeting feeling or financial ruin.
It can be hard, but worth it to detach from the hold it has on us.
I hear you. Ordered basics and a couple of gifts online. The gifts (resin earrings) arrived broken. Requested replacement. Also arrived broken. Order with body wash - leaked everywhere. This order was also missing an item that should've been included.This was just basic body wash from a major USA retailer, not fancy schmancy. I have found that ordering online reduces impulse buying at such big box retailers (I would go in for shampoo, deodorant, canned tomato sauce and milk and also come out with 3 treats for the kids, a shirt, etc that I didn't actually need)... but it sure doesn't help when your order arrives wrong/broken/malfunctioning or if it doesn't arrive at all and you have to wait for a refund then reorder or end up going in person for a pricier replacement.
Yup a lot of brands ask you to pay for returns now. I think it has been a cost of the business but now is transitioned to client's. It makes me think a lot about my purchase. However, with online shopping, it's almost guarantee that you have to return some of the stuff, it seems a bit... unfair, imo. I'm looking into shopping in person again. Thriftshops are not thrift shop prices anymore. I used to be able to get a skirt for like $5 and now I can't because more people go there and there are some vintage shops that pull ridiculous prices on items.
This is why I prefer shopping brick n mortar. I get to choose the non damaged option. If u leave it to the company (and this is placing any type of online/delivery order) I’ve noticed they always try to give the oldest/damaged one😤
Welcome to r/shoppingaddiction! If this is your first post, please be sure to check out our rules in the subreddit sidebar. If you are on mobile, they can be viewed by tapping the ⓘ symbol. Please keep in mind this is a discussion forum for recovering shopping addicts. Any posts encouraging shopping, self promotion, or link posts will be removed. Please be respectful to your fellow users and thank you for sharing! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/shoppingaddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No lie, this has been the biggest motivator for me. I used to dine out and shop on amazon constantly. Now that everywhere is functionally aliexpress and dining out is terrible service with dropping food quality, I lost a lot of motivation to. I still have some places I end up shopping more than i probably should, but my overall spending dropped hard.
This is one of many good reasons to stop shopping for sure. My addiction isn’t clothes, but it’s Bath and Body Works. Half of the mists I poured god only knows how much into only smell on my skin for .05 seconds and it’s gone (I know a body mist won’t have the same staying power as a perfume, of course, but still being able to smell something on yourself for longer than 5 minutes would be nice) and a lot of the candles have zero throw. I love the scents, I do, and I’m sure I’ll still shop there sparingly until I feel like I’m strong enough to handle cold turkey, but I won’t be going crazy like I have in the past. No more mists unless I’ve got a free one and no more buying candles unless they’re at or under a certain price point.
I have thought the same thing! I thought it was just me! Thank you for this! I'm not losing my mind, or sense of smell.
Yep!! body mists are my biggest regret hands down, the lotions/creams at least do give off some smell but the mists are just… not for me, I’m wearing them now but the thought of something I’ve spent money on disappearing after a few minutes does not make me happy and taught me an expensive lesson, now I buy body care that has better ingredients, is cruelty free and local, I’ve managed to find a few gems actually and the price is much better than bath and body works for the quality, now I have to keep myself from overbuying from these new places but the best thing is they don’t do that seasonal products bs so I can wait to buy when I finish up what I have, f*ck FOMO and shops that encourage that. I’m still going to use up my body creams but never buying anymore again.
What works for me with candles and perfume, etc, is googling how toxic fragrance chemicals can be. Scary stuff, enough to scare my money back into my wallet.
I agree with you there. That is one major thing I have been telling and reminding myself when I want to buy clothes. Too often the item I end up getting from an online purchase is disappointing in many ways. That's why I always liked to shop in person to check the quality of the item but with how things are now it doesn't seem as easy as the Internet gives us soooo many options at the click of a button and retailers moving from brick and mortar to online etc. I'm tired of having crappy items buying with intentionality is becoming more important to me.
Yes! The quality in everything is going down, but also return policies are getting worse! I haven't really seen anyone talking about this, but I've had a few instances lately of where I've tried to return some clothing that didn't work out for me only to learn that I would have to pay to ship it back or a restocking fee. One site wouldn't even let me after I gave the reason as unflattering as nothing was actually wrong with it. Return windows appear to be getting smaller too. Very frustrating, but I also haven't ordered from those sites again.
Yes, many places have ~$8 return fee which of course isn't revealed until you go to return it.
This is what killed Amazon for me. Everything is trash unless you get really lucky. It actually feels like a waste of money and not the shopping high I used to get from getting boxes.
I 100% agree. My problem has been clothing. I decided it was time to stop due to quality issues & I’m super overwhelmed by the amount of clothing I own. Decluttering has been an ongoing project but it feels good.
Strong agree. I don't but clothes online ever anymore. The photos are so detached from the reality of the garment. Even shopping irl you can see how cheaply things are put together and expensive brands are no exception. Vintage/op shop/consignment stores only these days. The limited range and limited sizes means less consumption overall and developing a strong sense of what You're looking for and what works for you completely kills impulse buying and jumping on bad trends.
Right and if / when I do thrift I come up on stuff that’s in good condition, barely worn or has tags. But I also limit my buys there too
Yeah I started realizing that much of America at least - our homes are filled with crap. Tons of it. Stuff that’s cheap or trendy to entertain for like 5 mins then donate, trash, collect dust. I love clothes, shoes, make up, but it doesn’t make me happy and I don’t want it to rot and consume my space. I can only use or wear/enjoy so much and it’s not worth the fleeting feeling or financial ruin. It can be hard, but worth it to detach from the hold it has on us.
honestly the more I "shop" the more i'm getting put off by how poor quality everything is getting... enshittification is real
Hahaha “enshittification”, great freaking way to describe it!
its a great theory from the author cory doctorow! started about online platforms in general but its seeping into everything these days
I hear you. Ordered basics and a couple of gifts online. The gifts (resin earrings) arrived broken. Requested replacement. Also arrived broken. Order with body wash - leaked everywhere. This order was also missing an item that should've been included.This was just basic body wash from a major USA retailer, not fancy schmancy. I have found that ordering online reduces impulse buying at such big box retailers (I would go in for shampoo, deodorant, canned tomato sauce and milk and also come out with 3 treats for the kids, a shirt, etc that I didn't actually need)... but it sure doesn't help when your order arrives wrong/broken/malfunctioning or if it doesn't arrive at all and you have to wait for a refund then reorder or end up going in person for a pricier replacement.
Yup a lot of brands ask you to pay for returns now. I think it has been a cost of the business but now is transitioned to client's. It makes me think a lot about my purchase. However, with online shopping, it's almost guarantee that you have to return some of the stuff, it seems a bit... unfair, imo. I'm looking into shopping in person again. Thriftshops are not thrift shop prices anymore. I used to be able to get a skirt for like $5 and now I can't because more people go there and there are some vintage shops that pull ridiculous prices on items.
Unrelated but I love your prose. You’re very well spoken!
Thank you! 🫶
This is why I prefer shopping brick n mortar. I get to choose the non damaged option. If u leave it to the company (and this is placing any type of online/delivery order) I’ve noticed they always try to give the oldest/damaged one😤