Worked in a mall in the 90s and thought a store that let people 'shop' but not actually pay money for things might be fun/useful. Or... sort of like a membership. $10/month, come in to some luxury type store - browse, test out stuff, etc. Go through a 'checkout' step with your 'store card', just... leave the items in the store as you leave. For some folks, the leaving and driving away is the 'high', but for a lot of folks, the 'purchase' itself is the high, and it's downhill after that. I saw so many people buying things they shouldn't buy - and that was over 30 years ago(!). I know it's only become worse over the years.
FWIW - my idea was possibly sort of dumb, but I was a bit of a dumb kid at times... :)
I have found that adding things to a todo (Todist) list called "want-to-buy" gives me the little endorphin boost / anxiety relief without spending any money. I periodically go through and delete stuff from this list after time has passed, and I'm always glad I didn't go through with the purchases. Rarely I will come across something I truly do still want, and will purchase it.
I'd heavily expand on the selection. Maybe even make them AI generated with beautiful designs so people can go through an endless catalogue. Dream. You may be on to something and this may be bigger than your original idea. You could help people dream about stuff that does not exist.
I try to combat the shopping addiction by ensuring for every purchase, (1), that the price is really good, (2), that the quality is actually really good, too.
For example, $149 for a great monitor is a great deal. But it has to be IPS, USB-C, DP 1.4, QHD or higher, 400nits etc. Normally, these retail for $599, so, I don't buy. Many monitors retail for $99, but they're FHD 250nits VGA crap.
Slickdeals.net is a nice website where you can find some of these deals. Keep in mind that even for really good deals, some people over there would still be unhappy and would still expect higher specs or lower price, so, you have to use your own judgement whether something is good or not. Recently missed a 32in 4K UHD monitor at 159.99 because it was a VA, and people complained too much that VA sucks, but the rest of the specs were just too good, and it sold out quickly; OTOH, I can now wait for a better deal!
I started buying silver, platinum, and gold coins. Itches that “get shiny” scratch, and I’ve been profitable enough to not regret collecting something. After I got started, I became a calmer, more rational investor in the digital realm. Something about the physical weight of the silver unlocked some “it’s all okay” mechanism in my brain. It felt drug like, a chemical change.
Amazing store, but I think the elite soccer ball is a tad bit too expensive at $21. I'll wait until black Friday I think then get that for my least favourite nephew.
I have spent my whole life mostly buying nothing and I realized recently that I am probably pretty far from optimal on that tradeoff. Outside of food, rent, and travel I've been spending around 5k/year my entire life (mostly laptops and phones)
Recently I realized I'd probably get old with money better spent while I'm young, so I started spending a lot more. It's felt great overall, for example I bought a sleep tracker, new bedding (had been using the same pillows for 12 years), humidifiers, air filters, CO2 monitor, and a few other things to sleep better. It made a noticable difference on my sleep.
Probably many people reading this site actually buy too little.
This doesn't seem like an accurate description, since it's designed to trigger the same dopamine release as shopping, just without the real-world consequences.
I'm confused by the NoBucks Rewards ("Need $xx.xx more NoBucks; Complete anti-consumption tasks to earn more"; <https://justbuynothing.com/rewards>). Obviously no real products are getting shipped. I'm not going to make an account on this site but can NoBucks actually be earned? What happens when you've earned enough to actually "checkout"?
Maybe I'm thinking about it too hard, but this seems to imply that the "fun" part of online shopping is somewhere in adding things to your cart, or maybe even the act of spending money.
But for me the dopamine hit comes from receiving and opening a physical package. Ship me a box of air instead!
I have this unofficial policy of buying used for frivolous purchases. The extra effort of browsing classifieds and arranging the purchase means that I must really want something before I get it. It also means that nothing gets extracted from nature and shipped around the world to satisfy a weak desire.
I've also been much more selective about which objects I allow into my home. I'm older now and I realise how long these objects stay in my life, so they might as well spark joy every time. Again, the long process of acquiring something means I avoid a lot of impulse purchases, and end up with fewer, better objects.
27 comments
[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 52.6 ms ] threadIn my experience the majority of compulsive shoppers like getting a box almost as much as whatever is in it
FWIW - my idea was possibly sort of dumb, but I was a bit of a dumb kid at times... :)
For example, $149 for a great monitor is a great deal. But it has to be IPS, USB-C, DP 1.4, QHD or higher, 400nits etc. Normally, these retail for $599, so, I don't buy. Many monitors retail for $99, but they're FHD 250nits VGA crap.
Slickdeals.net is a nice website where you can find some of these deals. Keep in mind that even for really good deals, some people over there would still be unhappy and would still expect higher specs or lower price, so, you have to use your own judgement whether something is good or not. Recently missed a 32in 4K UHD monitor at 159.99 because it was a VA, and people complained too much that VA sucks, but the rest of the specs were just too good, and it sold out quickly; OTOH, I can now wait for a better deal!
Great work!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverend_Billy_and_the_Church_...
Recently I realized I'd probably get old with money better spent while I'm young, so I started spending a lot more. It's felt great overall, for example I bought a sleep tracker, new bedding (had been using the same pillows for 12 years), humidifiers, air filters, CO2 monitor, and a few other things to sleep better. It made a noticable difference on my sleep.
Probably many people reading this site actually buy too little.
This doesn't seem like an accurate description, since it's designed to trigger the same dopamine release as shopping, just without the real-world consequences.
I'm confused by the NoBucks Rewards ("Need $xx.xx more NoBucks; Complete anti-consumption tasks to earn more"; <https://justbuynothing.com/rewards>). Obviously no real products are getting shipped. I'm not going to make an account on this site but can NoBucks actually be earned? What happens when you've earned enough to actually "checkout"?
But for me the dopamine hit comes from receiving and opening a physical package. Ship me a box of air instead!
https://www.adbusters.org/buy-nothing-day
I have this unofficial policy of buying used for frivolous purchases. The extra effort of browsing classifieds and arranging the purchase means that I must really want something before I get it. It also means that nothing gets extracted from nature and shipped around the world to satisfy a weak desire.
I've also been much more selective about which objects I allow into my home. I'm older now and I realise how long these objects stay in my life, so they might as well spark joy every time. Again, the long process of acquiring something means I avoid a lot of impulse purchases, and end up with fewer, better objects.