Society’s Problem With Shopping on Sale

On October 13 and 14, what has become an annual “holiday” in Amazon Prime Day will commence, giving Amazon Prime customers a chance to grab some great items on sale — whether it be for the upcoming holiday season or simply as a treat.

Prime Day, which began in 2015, is typically held over the summer. Due to COVID-19, however, the company pushed the day back to October — just close enough to Black Friday to take some wind out of the sails of big-box retailers.

Last year’s Prime Day pulled in sales of over 175 million items.

While Amazon had the pleasure of receiving so many orders for necessities during quarantine, they now have a chance to cash out on “want” items.

You may be looking to be one of those customers.

Hell, why not buy a new TV? Maybe there’s some other cool electronic gadget you’ve been thinking about buying for a while. Maybe you want to look into Amazon’s new Prime Wardrobe.

Well, it’s always fun to look around and buy new stuff. But do you really need it?

Sales can be one of the silent killers to your bank account if you don’t approach them the right way.

Listen, I don’t want to be that annoying dude that tells you you’re being dumb with your money, because I don’t know each individual’s specific situation. If you work hard, save your money, and don’t blow half your check on something relatively worthless every month, you’re free to scroll through some deals and purchase something that may make life a little easier or more enjoyable.

Not a lot of people are like that, though.

People automatically look at sales as an incredible value that they have to take advantage of. Clothing stores often have huge blowout sales, marking down items by as much as 50%.

The clothes aren’t even worth what they are at a half-price value, though, and the brand name allows them to steal your money in exchange for the societal checkmark you get for wearing said brand.

Perhaps this is a global issue, but it seems especially prevalent in the United States. Brands like Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Supreme get away with ridiculous markups on clothing, shoes, and accessories because of the credibility they’ve earned in the market.

You can throw a Nike check on a $6 white shirt and sell it for $25. The market allows them to get away with it, so why shouldn’t they do it?

Society encourages a higher standard of living through pressures such as social media, namely Instagram. If you go out and aren’t posting about it, it didn’t happen. And if you aren’t dressed to the 10s, why post it?

It’s not just clothes. There is an all-encompassing lifestyle problem in modern society, including buying a new iPhone every year, a nicer house than you can afford, a nicer car than you can afford, and even spending daily at places such as Starbucks.

Brands become superpowers once they prove themselves as a societal need. Most of them are slightly-improved yet highly-overpriced versions of the actual foundational need, however.

Sales perpetrate this societal issue, telling you you’re getting a deal on something that is overpriced from the jump and/or non-essential.

When shopping on Amazon Prime Day or during any other sales moving forward, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” If the answer is no, drop it.

Marketplace value doesn’t equal personal value, so don’t buy it if you don’t need it.