By Katy Nguyen, Staff Writer
Sales after sales, it’s so tempting to grab it off the shelf or click the “buy now” button. But, do you really make use of all the things you buy? Or are they left forgotten somewhere until you do spring cleaning?
Companies have a way to lure consumers in with their discounts and free two-day shipping, from retailers such as Amazon. People love taking advantage of all these deals and sales. According to the National Retail Federation, more than a third of shoppers buy only “on sale” items. They wait out the whole year until the holiday season rolls by to spend their year’s earnings away.
Now with online shopping, everything is just one click away. They end up spending way more than they need on unnecessary items. When you buy items for cheap, is the product the same? How do we know if manufactures use the same materials for products that are seemingly so cheap? When buying, do you consider the ethics behind it? On-sale products are very demanding of human labor. Everything needs to be done fast and on time accordingly to a brand’s promises.
However, spending more does benefit the economy and create more job opportunities. Consumer spending makes up more than 70% of the gross domestic product. It’s also important to note that a strong U.S. dollar in the economy makes imports much cheaper. But, this makes it difficult for American goods to sell out which isn’t necessarily much of a win-win situation either.
So, all this spending, what does it do to our wallets? Credit card debt has risen over the years, and mainly due to holiday spending. Brands make it too tempting for people to keep buying and buying. Consider all the factors: the production, the manufacturing, the shipping, the labor, the environment and your bank account. Is it okay to keep buying when you’re ruining the world you live in for some cheap “on-sale” item?
This holiday season, think about what you buy. Ask yourself, “Am I going to use this?”. If not, don’t buy it and instead save your money for something you really need. Donate to charity, volunteer and help those in need.
