International Buy Nothing Day: Why We Love/Hate Shopping Part 1

By Marney Beliveau  •  in News
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This Saturday is ‘International Buy Nothing Day’, and if it were up to me, everyday would be buy nothing day. Don’t get me wrong, I like having things, but the process of acquiring said things can suck it. Allow me to elaborate in list form below:

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: I’d like to think of myself as a decisive person, but when it comes to shopping, I suffer greatly from paradox of choice. Even the most meticulous pro and con list can’t help me when faced with so many options, or even just two. This is especially true when it comes to electronics and other big ticket items. And when I do finally decide? Something bigger, better and shinier always comes out the next week. Dam you Steve Jobs!

Sizes: Being of Canadian descent, I’m not exactly ‘fun sized’ (read: small) like the women here in Malaysia. So on me, dresses become shirts, pants only graze my shins, shorts become short shorts and short shorts… well you get the picture. Don’t even get me started on the ‘one size fits all’ size! Contrary to the name, unless its a scarf, one size does not, and will not, fit all.

The Setting: Crowds, recycled air, and lack of sunlight always leaves me wondering what exactly is there to like about malls? Also who decided that the most unattractive lighting (fluorescent) would help stores move more product? If stores really wanted their wares to fly off the shelves, they would use the same lighting that makes Madonna look good.

Buying the Same thing: Has this ever happened to you: you get super stoked on an article of clothing in the store, bring it home to find you have the EXACT same thing already in your closet? Or at least something very similar? I have the same pair of jeans x3 and too many white/grey/black tshirt variations to count. Something tells me that I’m not alone in this, since we are all creatures of habit. Or is it just me?

Image: http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/

Agree or Disagree? Read Emma Lee’s counterpoint on why she loves shopping tomorrow in part 2. For more on Buy Nothing Day, head to the website.