Don't Be Fooled. Consumerism Doesn't Work Anymore

 

Walk away and feel like a millionaire!

I recently turned on YouTube and watched a young woman sitting in front of a camera with shopping bags filled with her “haul” from a store. As she pulled out each item, she described it, explained why she bought it, why it’s so fabulous, and why YOU should have it too.

Haul videos are just one example of viral consumerism. Viral as in a disease, an infection. A haul is not one item but an overdose of purchasing. A ‘spree’ or a ‘splurge’. The purpose of the video is to create envy, to make the viewer feel jealous and to inspire purchasing. Influencers on YouTube and social media often get their haul products free or are paid in some way to make more videos. They earn their living by shopping for things they don’t need.

Consumerism is trying to part us with our money. Haul videos urge you to buy. Desire is endless, and marketing is made to create desire after desire. It makes you want more and more. Haul videos are made to create envy. We are beholden to blind consumerism and unrealistic beauty standards. Something like makeup can be as radical as it represents the ability to self-transform. It makes us think ‘If she has the money and she has every color, she must be better than me.’

Enter the “anti-haul” movement. This is the new movement presenting the marketing world’s top, ‘must have’ products and telling you why “I don’t want it. I’m not gonna buy it”. You can save lots of money and gain freedom from the clutter of products that will not be used and eventually, tossed. Anti-haul videos give you good reason NOT to buy. They open our eyes to the power of marketing.

‘Limited editions’ are just bait. They are created to jump start a new desire and to create urgency. It makes us think if we don’t buy a ‘special’, limited edition that we’re missing out on something cool.

Beware of sales. Marketers are keen on sales because this is where consumers make their biggest purchasing mistakes. They key advice is: don’t buy something just because it’s on sale. If it’s not something you’d pay full price for, don’t buy it on sale. Many times in the case with cosmetics, they offer a set — as in a cream, a lipstick and a body oil for a few dollars more. When it comes to a set, ask yourself, I’m I really going to use the whole set? The answer is usually no. Buy what you need and nothing more.

Today, shopping has become entertainment. You’re bored, you buy a lipstick. You’re depressed, you buy a dress. Save your money and deal with your emotions in a healthier way: call a friend, read a book, go on a walk, learn a language. Save your money for something else like a well-deserved vacation.

“I don’t need it. I don’t want it. I’m not gonna buy it”. Say it three times, walk away and feel fabulous. You are a part of the new anti-consumerism movement that just may make you feel like a millionaire!