Black Friday plays on our psychology as consumers, the inflated “before” prices, the limited stock, the flash sales. These triggers have successfully translated wants into needs, the more you have the better you feel. The latest tech, the trendy clothing items, and the flashy items that you “need to have” in order to feel whole, worthy, complete.
Products are no longer designed to serve you for the long run, because where is the profitability in that? Most items bought during peak sales seasons are discarded in the same year. But what happens once an item is discarded, and what happens to the items that are not sold by the end of the season? They end up in landfills or get sent to third world countries to deal with. What ends up in landfills isn’t just a discarded item, it’s also all the resources that were invested in making the item itself, water, electricity, human labor, etc.
What can we do to avoid this endless loop of overconsumption?
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Make a list of items that you actually need and will buy even if they weren’t discounted.
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Wait for 48 hours before making any purchase, if you still want it after 48 hours purchase it.
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Unfollow influencers that make videos about huge hauls that cost thousands of dollars, these aren’t realistic.
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Invest in slow fashion staples that are made from high quality materials and will last for a long time.
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Support small local businesses instead of large corporations.
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Read where your items are made and make informed decisions.
How do you combat overconsumption?
Topics that might interest you:
A. Planned obsolescence: Planned Obsolescence Sucks. Here's Why It Still Exists.
B. Why our clothing quality deteriorated drastically and how Zara played a huge role in that: It's Not Just Shein: Why Are ALL Your Clothes Worse Now?
C. Social media role in overconsumption: How social media fuels useless products
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