3 Signs You’re An Impulsive Shopper
How I sacrifice personhood for clothing.
You deserve to treat yourself by refreshing your look. Everyone wants these timeless, wardrobe-essentials. Fashion is how you express yourself. You can return whatever you don’t like later, but I promise, you’ll love how you feel. By the way, we’re almost sold out.
Almost verbatim, this is how I would sell clothing and purses to thousands of women as a Sales Associate at Kate Spade. And it worked — I rarely missed my weekly sales quota over four years.
Being a talented retail salesperson offered me an intimate view into the minds of people who identified with the brand I represented. I needed to quickly comprehend their conspicuous consumption because it greatly differed from mine as a broke university student. Naturally, their motivations and triggers became second nature as I refined my ability to validate their impulsive spending.
Unfortunately, I walked away with more than anthropological findings of the upper class and wanna-be bourgeoisie society. I internalized the reality our clothing can be a passport into spaces that would otherwise be inaccessible. I already loved fashion, but participating in (as opposed to merely observing) luxury retail shopping felt owed by this point.
You can guess I developed problematic shopping habits I am now learning to undo. Since materialism has successfully infiltrated my psyche — I bet you’re curious about how far gone you may be, and whether or not there’s hope for you to recover, too.
If you struggle with impulsive shopping, you may identify with the following thoughts, feelings and behaviours:
1 — You buy clothing because it is an easy way to ‘try on’ a new identity.
You do not visit your favourite store — online or in-person — without a scratch to itch. Sometimes, updating your closet can healthily improve your self-image. Other times, you scroll onto social media where you’re reminded the way you dress does not match the coveted look and lifestyle of that girl, whoever she may be.
The clothes you love and wear often, suddenly feel outdated and unstylish. Shopping becomes the mechanism through which you conflate the desire to become someone new with the satisfaction of buying something new.
I’ve witnessed people rationalize going into debt to buy new clothing to reinvent themselves. This feeling is perpetuated by industries that profit from your insecurities.
You cannot purchase self-actualization. Trust me, I’ve tried.
2 — Your time disappears into an endless cycle of buying and returning packages.
You believe shopping is a fulfilling challenge to find pieces that will complete your closet. You are subscribed to your favourite stores and influencers via social media and email. You follow them closely to be the first to pounce on exclusive items or irresistible sales.
However, the joy of receiving new clothing no longer outweighs its tradeoffs, such as waiting for refunds to pay off your credit card.
You’re tired of taping shipping labels to dingy cardboard boxes. You’re dreading making another inconvenient trip to the post office. Yet, somehow you can’t resist shuffling through dozens of browser tabs to find something you may have overlooked.
You know this time could be spent productively, instead.
3 — Excessive spending is disrupting your personal and financial growth.
You commit to self-development by setting goals and envisioning yourself accomplishing them. However, collecting apparel to match this imagined persona is more fun than practicing the skills and habits necessary to realize your ambitions.
All good and bad days seem to end with celebratory or therapeutic consumerism. But you’re too broke to save for that vacation, home, wedding, or retirement (and so on). Reckless spending outpaces progress made on your dreams, and thinking about your credit score scares you.
Expressing who you are via your style is important, but you’re ready to prioritize your long-term wealth and well-being.
If this sounds familiar, don’t fret because I’ve experienced similar. Now, I am working on lifestyle changes to help soothe my impulsive shopping habits. I will write about them as I learn what strategies help me regain control of my identity, spending and time.
