I love going to Target. It’s my place of Zen- I go there when I am stressed, angry, or hungry; pretty much any reason is a reason to go to Target. I have often considered why I love going to target so much. Being bombarded with marketing and advertising isn’t something that I thought I would enjoy so much. As I walk down the aisles, the different products seem to jump out at me calling me to buy them. Most of the time when I walk out of the store I end up buying absolutely nothing that I actually need. On a recent trip I came home with a tabloid magazine, a picture frame, my fifteenth pair of shoes, nail polish, and to top it off I was enticed into buying some sort smoothie maker. It made me realize after that, I like so many other Americans buy products just because I feel the need to fill a void and not because I actually need it.
We see it in society every day -people buying meaningless crap that will most likely end up in a goodwill pile or lost in the abyss of their closets. Sixty years ago people generally only bought new shoes or new appliances when their old ones were unable to be used. In today’s world even if something still works, when the new version comes out people must have it! For the past several years people have been acquiring more credit card debt than ever so that they can have the newest and latest products. It seems to make no difference if they can’t afford it. They feel entitled to fit in with the trends of society, and have what the rich and famous have.
My question is why is it that we buy meaningless trinkets that we sometimes can’t afford or need?
25 comments:
I completely agree. Target. What better mecca is there to get anything you could ever want? And when I found that Target giftcard in my stocking, how overjoyed was I? As soon as physically possible, I went to Target and looked for things I would never buy for myself. A rice cooker? Yes please. Why? Because it's so much harder to use a pot. What about that time I needed to have a breadmaker because sticking some raised dough into a pan was too difficult. Now, why did I buy these things? Why? Because I wanted to see if what they were saying was true or make my life that much simplier by cluttering up my kitchen a little bit more. I figure that becoming domesticated also includes making things and if these devices could help me, then I would become a better homemaker and be loved that much more. Truth be told, I've used both items twice, and both times it didn't turn out how my mind said it would. But I bought them because I thought they'd make me better. Found out they just complicate things.
I think it partially has to do with what you said about fitting in or having what the rich have. We as a society have a high need to feel like we belong, like we are a part of the group, and often times in order to fit in we have to have certain things. We can even see it here at BYU. Want to be on top like the Marriot Students? All you need is a Blackberry. Want to be cool like the Comms students? Get a Mac.
I think for some people it is a lack of self-control. We are tricked by the media into thinking that we are only cool or worth something if we have the latest and greatest. Our desire to fit in by having the coolest products overrides our desire to be financially smart and we end up with a bunch of stuff that makes people think we are cool but that when we get right down to it, we don't need or really want. I think this is one of the factors behind many of the economic problems we're facing in today's world. People can't discipline themselves and rationally think "This is really really cool, but I can't afford it right now, so I'm going to save up for it." Usually, if it's something we really want, it's because of some other reason than it makes us cool, and we'll appreciate it even more because of the sacrifice we had to make for it. If it's just a trend or something we don't really need, by the time we've got enough money saved up for it we'll be able to buy the next cool thing.
Sometimes I buy things simply because I think they are a bargain that is too good to pass up. After all, I may need that thing in the future, right? For some people I guess it is therepeudic to spend money and get things. I also think that some people evaluate their success by having lots of stuff.
lovelovelove target- i have control over buying only necessities in groceries and random other items, but when it comes to clothes, i lose it. i think its bc ive fallen into the idea that clothing is a way to make a statement and show personality. i guess im just a victim of this social construction
Americans are mass consumers. Why? Because we live in a blessed country marinated with convenience. I have a perfectly good colgate toothbrush that works great, yet I almost bought a mechanical one at walmart (it was 25 percent off)! I only wanted it because it looked so convenient, effective, and most of all entertaining. So, sometimes we fall victims of advertisements because of our strong pursuit of the easier, more entertaining way.
Target....i don't let my wife go....precisely for the content of this blog :) We live in a world where we buy new things to make our lives more comfortable and easy. Why did you buy the smoothie maker? Maybe because you thought that you could start eating more fruit in an enjoyable delicious smoothie. Surely, the box promised that it was easy to clean, made perfect smoothies, and would make the owner thin, attractive, and consume more antioxidants. :) However, after using the machine twice, realizing that there are always chuncks of fruit that don't get blended, and that it's a PAIN IN THE BUTT to rinse the thing out it will probably never get used again. So, in an attempt to make life easy and healty, we forget that picking up an apple, and drinking a glass of water was probably healthier and easier in the first place.
Why do we buy things we don't need? Because we have to. At least that's what the media, advertisers and maybe even are friends tell us. Something is missing if we don't buy this. We won't be cool enough if we don't have that. Everyone has a need to fit in and buying things, however useless they might be, is the way to do it. Or so we're taught in society.
Target, a similar guilty pleasure. Classier the Walmart, yet still affordable and quality. I agree with Charlotte though, these companies keep on coming out with products that make it easier to cook, clean, and do all the jobs of any housewife, college student, single parent, or anyone really. As these devices continue to come out, they appear to have such great utility that we have to get our hands on them. I mean, look at any bridal registry and see how many different types of cooking or baking machines that they are asking for. Why not get two just in case? But in the end, I suppose utility and convenience tend to be big motivators in buying "meaningless trinkets."
I would agree with some of the previous comments. We want to make our lives simple, so we are enticed to purchase things that we "justify" getting because we need them to make our day to day lives less stressful and more efficient. There are so many things we do not need, but because everyone else has them, we feel we need them too.
Not wanting to repeat what others have said (although I throw up my "amen" and "hallelujah" in response to the previous comments), I propose a different reason why we buy meaningless products - "What If" Fulfillment. No, that's not a scientific term, in fact, I just came up with it right now, but I think it adequately describes this habit. For example, this summer I found myself at Target, looking to buy a BBQ. Prices ranged from $150-$1500. I'm a college student. I'm poor. And yet, I found myself hoovering around the grills priced above a grand. Why? Because I kept thinking that I needed 900 square inches of cooking surface. (What if I ended up having a party with 400 people?) I needed the built-in fridge. (What if we were grilling away miles away from another fridge?) I needed motorized wheels. (What if I got tired and didn't want to push the grill into a new location?) We try to find products with features that will fulfill any hypothetical "what if." Another example is when I looked for a blender. I could have easily bought the $20 blender, but instead I spent my time watching the live demonstration of the $450 VitaMixer, the blender that can slice, dice, blend, puree, cook, clean, and even do your taxes. I needed a product that fulfilled any hypothetical situation that could be thrown my way.
Luckily, I have been able to talk myself out of such extravagant purchases, but it's been difficult. It's the smaller purchases though, such as the butterfly net, or the CD cleaner, or the Tahitian Noni Shot glasses, all of which I've never used, which add up.
I think the problem is that we DON'T KNOW that we cannot afford to buy needless things. I think a person who is truly aware of their finacial situation won't go on shopping binges. The problem is credit cards and delayed consequences. We THINK we have the money..or that we WILL have the money when we have to pay off our bills..and because of that we think we can afford to spend more money now to fit in. I've meet people who were very good a keeping track of what they spent who were able to shop well and not over shop. I've met other people who were terrible with money and bought junk, but they bought alot of junk. It's a matter of seldf-control and being aware of consequences.
I agree with all of the above. People buy things they can't afford because they want to 'fit in', just like so and so...and hey, they even gotten it on sale. But that still doesn't negate the fact that they didn't have money for even the on sale item. The invention of credit cards really upped the number of people buying things without money for it because credit cards give the allusion of no immediate consequences.
Like most of the class, I'm a pretty big fan of target. Compared to Walmart, going to Target is like a breath of fresh air. The need to buy and own things that we don't need however, is evident pretty much everywhere. I think it stems from a fairly competitive culture we live in. When I see somebody who has something I dont, my response isnt usually "Good for them". My response is more along the lines of "How can I get that myself". Having a credit card provides people with the instant solution, regardless of future consequences. Our society has adopted the mindset of forgetting long term pain in order to get the short term pleasure. Our economic recession really doesn't seem that surprising.
Guilty as charged. I have no idea how many theoretical "smoothie makers" I have purchased in my life. However, I think that in the current economic times we are being asked, even required, to cut back on said purchases. With this trend we are seeing more creative marketing to get us to think the luxuries are actual necessities.
I think a lot of people buy things that they don't need because they want to fit in to the present crowd. I just think it's very much about image.
Plus, sometimes things are just too good to be true. Sales all the way!
O and a side note - don't shop @ target for wedding registries. They don't let you return anything if you don't have the receipt - and not many people give the receipt when they give a wedding gift. For this reason I refuse to shop at Target because of many crazy attempted wedding gifts exchanges/returns.
In our society, we buy products that we can't afford or need because we are trying to portray a certain image. Our personal image that we are trying to display is important. We are trying to achieve a look, a feel, or in other words, create our own personal brand of who we are. And just like any other product that is trying to be sold, we are trying to sell ourselves, and therefore we are trying to brand ourselves with our car, music, clothing, food, hairstyle, etc.
Target does have everything you could ever want!From personal experience I buy items that I don't necessarily need at the time out of boredom, lack of fulfillment, and also because of the social construction that if we have a particular item we are precieved as "cool". Shopping for me, gives me something to do. Bored on the weekend? Head to the mall with some friends. I find it fun to not only window shop, but also BUY! Additionally, when I find something that I love, it makes me happy. Furthermore, if someone that I look up to or admire has something that I find neat, I have fallen into the trap of buying something because others have it.
Marketers these days are really smart. Stores will mark up an item way high just so they can sell it at really good discount price. I have heard the words many times "but it was on sale". If you didn't need it going into the store you really don't need it when you see it.
I love Target. I love going there. I don't enjoy going to Wal-Mart. In fact, I hate it. Yes, prices are cheaper, but ten times out of ten I prefer going to Target. I feel like it increases the quality of my life.
And that's the same reason I buy meaningless things: because it increases the quality of my life. I convince myself that, even though I probably shouldn't, that product will make my life better. So I buy it. Usually at Target.
Call me old fashioned…but I still only buy shoes when I NEED them. However, I do admit to buying many seemingly meaningless things that I don’t need. Most of these come in the form of little things from the local snowboard shop. Buying something small may seem to fill a temporary emptiness or even rejuvenate and increasingly boring phase of life, mixing up the norm and stimulating the joy of spontaneity.
The response about "theoretical smoothie makers" caught my attention. Shortly after getting married, I discovered something curious about my wife that I now find endearing: she loves infomercials. For her, the sappier the better. And she takes them seriously too. To her, nothing quite compares to a 30 minute special about the latest iteration of 'the magic bullet'. I'll admit that over the past year and a half she's slowly pulled me in to her infomercial ways. Now when we see one on TV, neither of us can change the channel. Still, we've never purchased, or even considered purchasing one of those crazy gadgets. There's simply no need to have them. They're dang intriguing, but entirely unnecessary. Still, that's not why we don't make 1-800 call and pay the two simple installments of $19.99. The real reason lies in the type of consumers we are...
Now I don't mean to offend, but I agree with what was said by Jeff about excessive purchasing: "I think for some people it is a lack of self-control."
That self-control, I'm ever more convinced, is not a product of human nature, but rather nurture. I really don't want this to come off as soup-box conceitedness, but my wife and I both come from rather modest financial backgrounds. We both started working in our mid-teenage years. We have both paid for our college education. Money seems quite real and perishable, especially now. To me, that's what reinforces our "self-control" with infomercials as well as during trips to Target. What do you think?
Nowadays there are so many products and gadgets out there that say they will make our lives easier. (Thanks Billy Mays!) And it's even easier to get these products that are offered at some "limited time" price, so we buy them. It's only after we buy them that we realize they won't be used that often. (Honestly, how often would you make little mini-hamburgers?) We just get caught up in the excitement of buying a new toy that we don't stop to think if we really need it...
I think that people buy more today than in older times because of easy access. Shopping is so much easier now that we have: convenience stores like Target and Wal-mart, foreign trade and credit cards.
I also feel that people in today's world feel entitled to everything and anything they can get their hands on. I think this is because people don't have to work as hard for what they want anymore, generally speaking.
Post a Comment