Companies that advertise themselves the most usually have the least to offer. Heavy advertising is merely a strategy, and it is most often employed by businesses that lack a substantial product. So while the marketing and advertising department may receive a massively larger slice of the budget, the goal is to have a product that is just decent enough that people don’t hate it, and this costs less both in production and/or research and development. They are “selling eyes”.
Do you remember the shake weight? It was heavily advertised but was really based on phony science. But it sure sold eyeballs, not just through television but also through store presence. I even have one friend who received one for Christmas. The marketing was so relentless that it actually worked, for a time. But this product didn’t reach that “decent enough that people didn’t hate it” benchmark, and it so it went by the wayside. People who bought them lined the pockets of that company, but ended up with an ultimately useless product. You can occasionally find shake weights haunting the shelves at thrift stores.
Simply going into a store dramatically increases your chances of buying something, if not now then in the future.
There is a particular soda that I really enjoy, but it is very sporadically stocked at gas stations, and comes and goes in waves. But when I go into a gas station looking for it and don’t find it, I often feel silly leaving with nothing, so I might buy a can of (fake) tea as a substitute, just to not feel stupid. But going into stores also exposes you to more over time. So even if your life was just fine, you’ll no doubt “find” something interesting or cool, or something that you think will make your life better. Every great now and then it does, but at least in my life, this has been rare.
“But if nobody buys anything in retail stores, what will happen to the economy?!”
I don’t think avoiding all stores is necessarily the goal here. The goal is to avoid waste, to buy the things that improve your life and not buy the things that don’t. We’ll probably never get this perfectly right, but we can at least note what works and what doesn’t for us, and hopefully find some sort of pattern that we tend to follow which can inform our future decisions.
As for the economy, well, if I buy the things that improve my life, I’m supporting businesses that add economic value to the world. And if I don’t buy things that don’t improve my life, I’m not supporting businesses that don’t add economic value to the world. The less waste there is in your spending habits, the more you are supporting the right companies and not supporting the wrong companies. Vote with your dollars. This is why I believe in capitalism.
I try, and often fail, to only go to the grocery store once per week. Usually this will involve two separate stores. When I actually achieve this, I typically spend considerably less. But the more frequently I’m in the grocery store, the more often I find little things here and little things there, and I end up spending a lot more. The really sad cases are when I buy the ingredients for meals when I already have enough meals for the week, and some ingredients go to waste. But this is one of the cases where thinking too far ahead can really bite you with groceries.
This principle applies to online shopping as well. Stay off Amazon! I always find myself buying more online when I browse around aimlessly looking for things to buy, which is just asking for a thinner wallet and more junk.
But what about shopping for fun? Well, I think it’s a terrible hobby, but I also don’t think it’s the devil. I was just at a rock and fossil shop with a friend the other day. I love those places! To be fair, though, I rarely ever buy anything from them. Going to places like 16th street mall with friends can be fun, too, and I’ve long wanted to get a group of friends to go browse some mountain towns. So you buy a mug or a t-shirt. So what? Usually the real highlight for me is hanging out with people, and maybe trying new food. Maybe just be cautious what would actually be fun to buy, something that is relatively safe from buyer’s remorse. And maybe don’t do this too often.
Funny enough, I’ve even wasted a bit in thrift stores. Why? Because it’s fun to browse! Most of the books I buy there, though, eventually just get donated back (though to be fair, paying $1 to essentially rent a book is not a terrible deal). My worst case was buying a pair of outdoor shoes which were in my size but sadly caused me serious foot pain after wearing them for a day. Thrift store shoes may be great for rare occasions (my black dress shoes are such a pair), but shoes form to your feet, and if they’ve formed to someone else’s foot, you may be out of luck even if the size matches. For me it was about $20 wasted, but I’m sure people do score good fits. Oh, well.
And it’s also different if you’re actually in business for something. I very seriously needed some seating implements when I moved into my own apartment, so I went to a furniture store and settled upon a couch that I still love today. When I finally decided that my borrowed television wasn’t cutting it for me, I went out and bought a new television and a sound bar.
Sometimes browsed items can turn out to add value, though. My super-colorful bookshelf is a case in point. I also have a small collection of bookmarks from geographical locations, usually bought in gift shops. Those I actually use! Spending money is not a sin, but being spend-happy can leave you broke. And if you are actually in the habit of going shopping when you’re bored, be prepared to look back on your life and see an awful lot of wasted money.
But these few exceptions ignore that almost everything I’ve thrown out was bought from browsing. Most of the books I’ve owned were in fact acquired this way. I’d find a book on Amazon, get super excited about it, and buy it within a few weeks, only to realize it wasn’t that great after all. I’ve thrown hundreds of dollars away doing this. (and if you think I should have just returned the books, you are correct, but pride and the sunk cost fallacy can be real monsters. Of course this is a great book! I love this book! …don’t I?…)
If you’re looking to save money or to reduce the waste in your life, one of your best bets is to stay out of the store.