Consumerism Is Dying and We’re Entering Our No Sales Era
It feels like excessive consumerism is finally dying and we’re entering our no sales era. I am, sadly, still very much a consumer of beautiful things but I’ve learned that I don’t need every single new eyeshadow palette that launches, I don’t need beautiful makeup that I’m buying just because it’s beautiful and I’ll never use, and I’ve also learned to enjoy what I have and not to hoard it away because it’s too pretty to use. I like these life lessons I’ve learned! Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very much excited about new products be they beauty or otherwise. I like purses and shoes just like any other girl or guy. But I do try harder lately to ask myself, “Do you really need this?”
I’ve stopped buying Bath and Body Works Candles because ladies and lads, I have enough to light two small villages that don’t have electricity. I’ve also stopped hoarding away their hand soaps because those damn seasonal soaps get me but I’m good lately and I just run right past them. There are a lot of ways I’ve cut back on my bad spending habits. Money-wise, I’m always super careful about what I spend. That’s always been one of my top priorities as I’m not buying it if I’m going to go into debt over it. But, that being said, I’m guilty of indulging in pretty things while still being smart about my purchases.
It really does feel like consumerism is dying though and I think we can chalk that up to inflation and the cost of living currently but also, I think maybe some of us have gotten older and realize we don’t need a ton of stuff. I also, think some of us have grown smarter when it comes to who we trust when reading or watching reviews of a product be that the latest makeup launch, tech, or even a book. We just aren’t buying into what the Internet and marketing are trying to sell us!
We’ve also entered our no-sales era. I mean, this is the lead-up to Mother’s Day which is Sunday! In the past, we’d have been bombarded by sales from May 1st until the day of Mother’s Day. This year, the sales seem a lot less and we’ve even had brands like MAC encouraging us to mute or unsubscribe from emails because they understand that Mother’s Day can be a hard time for some of us.
It felt like Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s sales were a little meh too. I’m wondering if I’m just in a phase where sales just aren’t capturing my interests or if my belief that there are fewer and fewer is true. I really do feel like there is a heck of a lot fewer sales lately than ever before. We also entered an era where we aren’t getting release after release. I mean, Tarte is churning out a small release or two almost every two weeks (Radiant Shape Tape, Blush Tape, etc…etc…) but brands like Urban Decay, Too Faced, etc…have stopped the endless round of new releases and have really gone back to a slower launch schedule.
Despite believing consumer is dead or at least dying, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2022 were apparently smashing success. I’m curious how things will look this year and how many sales we’ll see. Personally, I feel like sales are becoming fewer and fewer and aren’t nearly as good as they were. I also noticed that some brands have entered a free shipping minimum era or even a higher free shipping threshold.
What do you think? Is consumerism dying or even dead already? Are sales slower coming lately? Are your buying habits the same or have you slowed down a bit? Do share!