Picture this: you are just strolling in the city, surrounded by shops with bright neon lights, which are calling out to you. You enter a shop, buy something (or some things), and you go home with your pocket a little lighter.
It’s only then that you realize you didn’t even need the thing, yet you bought it. Well, folks online are condemning such things that people buy, which are completely useless, or even harmful. You might look at some of these and find yourself nodding in agreement with the netizens. Just scroll down to find out what they are!
More info: Reddit
#1
Pure bred dogs from puppy mills.
#2
Helium. Everyone wants floaty balloons, but Helium is a finite resource much better spent on MRIs and scientific stuff.
#3
Overconsumption in general is getting so out of hand. No one needs to own 50+ Stanley cups. It’s just so stupid and wasteful.
As you scroll through the list, you might realize that you have actually bought some of these things that you never really needed. The real question is why we do it even when we know that it’s an unnecessary purchase. Well, let me tell you that in the end, it’s all either marketing or staying “in trend” to conform with the whole world.
For instance, did you know that Americans spend $1.2 trillionannually on nonessential goods? Yeah, you read that right! Moreover, stats reveal that US consumers also spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches ($100 billion) than on higher education. Pretty baffling, isn’t it?
#4
Labubu.
IndividualFeeling100 replied:
OMGosh yes! I am so tired of hearing about them.. I can’t wait until something else becomes a trend.
#5
Feminine washes. Absolutely unnecessary and are likely to throw off your PH. Mild unscented soap and water is the only thing needed (and don’t even get me started on how idiot companies like Lume are trying to convince women they stink down there and should be spraying it with deodorant).
#6
Anything via vendors like Temu, Shein, or Alibaba.
Research suggests that when you shop and buy something, your brain releases dopamine. It creates that little rush of excitement or pleasure you get when you get a good deal or treat yourself to something new. This dopamine boost acts like a reward system in your brain, making the experience feel enjoyable and worth repeating.
Even just browsing or thinking about buying something can start to trigger that happy feeling. But there’s a catch, of course: the pleasure from this “retail therapy” is usually short-lived, which is why it can be tempting to shop again and again. It’s kind of like a mini mood boost, but something to keep in check if shopping starts turning into a regular mood fix.
#7
Weird fashion clothes and influencer made products.
#8
Confetti. It just gets glitter and nonsense everywhere. It will never completely go away and months later you will still occasionally find some. Let’s stop pretending that confetti is a fun surprise and admit it is grounds for a cold war with the maniacal sender.
#9
90% of things advertised on TikTok or other social media platforms. You don’t need that $5 gadget solution to a non-problem that will end up in a landfill in a month because you stopped using it.
Another curious thing is the Diderot Effect. Imagine you buy a new jacket, and suddenly, your old shoes feel very mundane next to it. Then you start thinking maybe you need new jeans to go with the shoes, and maybe a new bag too. Just like that, you end up on a shopping spree, without even thinking whether you really need the new items.
That’s the Diderot Effect in action. It’s what happens when one new purchase makes everything else you own feel a bit outdated or mismatched, so you feel the urge to keep buying more to make it allfittogether. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, that one item has triggered a whole room full of things you never intended to buy!
#10
Supplements, homeopathic, powdered greens, collagen ect… if you don’t have a legitimate medical condition/deficiency it’s a multi billion dollar scam.
#11
Gaming lootboxes, battlepasses, and pre-orders. They’ve ruined the industry and it’s concerning that kids are growing up with it being the norm.
#12
MLM products.
orchestralgenius replied:
Agreed. Even if the product turns out to be good, MLMs have taken advantage of so many people. Their business practices are questionable at best.
When we speak about unnecessary purchases, how can we not talk about witty marketing gimmics that are behind it? The truth is that brands arereallygood at making us want stuff. They throw in things like “only a few left” or “limited-time offer” to make us feel like we will miss out if we don’t buy itright away.
Then there are influencers hyping up products, which makes you feel likeeveryonehas it, so naturally, you want it too. This is also where social media comes into play. Scrolling through people showing off new clothes, gadgets, or home stuff can spark a serious case of FOMO, as people give in to “social proof”.
Plus, when you see your friends or favorite celebs buying the same trendy stuff, it’s super easy to feel like you need to jump on the trend just to keep up. It’s like a mix of pressure and wanting to feel part of the group, and that combo can be extremely persuasive. Isn’t that what happened with the Labubu dolls and Stanley cups?
#13
Doritos. I’m sorry, but i’m not paying 6-7 bucks for a bag that’s even smaller than it used to be.
#14
Bottled water.
After_Ask878 replied:
Using a plastic liter of bottled water and then using that bottle as your water bottle for a year or more is a great practice. UL backpackers use this method as its re-use, leave no trace, can be used as a bidet, and light weight/low cost.
#15
Anything with palm oil.
jake3988 replied:
The problem is just overconsumption. We find something else, it’ll destroy everything in that way. There’s absolutely nothing inherently wrong with palm oil. In fact, most of the current alternatives are way worse.
In the end, brands and big companies use marketing as a tool to get into consumers’ heads, and literally make them dance to their beat. I hope I keep all this in mind the next time I make a purchase that’s totally unnecessary. What about you? Do you think you will be able to hold back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to upvote the ones that you most agree with in this list!
#16
Buy now pay later for anything with a lifespan less than or equal to the time it takes you to fully pay off that thing. (Ex: a burrito).
#17
Ticketmaster.
anon replied:
I believe they are actually going through a class action lawsuit right now for data breaches too
#18
Extended warranties. When have you ever used it? The one time you use it does not cancel out the costs of all the extended warranties you never used.
#19
Nestle products.
Signal_North_1973 replied:
Back in the 90s, my mother wrote Nestlé a letter that she would boycott them. They answered and basically said “good luck with that”…
#20
Door dash, Grub Hub, Uber eats.
Just go pick up the food yourself!
Or better yet cook! Meal prep on your day off if you need to.
#21
Everything Disney. The are aggressively anti-consumer.
#22
New phones every 1-2 years. Phones have plateaued as far as performance goes, and with many phone manufacturers promising years of security updates, it makes more sense to hang on to a phone for a few years. Save your money – and if the battery is going bad, it’s actually surprisingly cheap to have it replaced. I have an S23 ultra, and before that had the S9+. Only reason I made the jump was because of a solid pre-order deal for the S23.
#23
Balloons.
Disastrous-Union-117 replied:
Balloon arches used for decorations at parties make me so mad. So much waste!
#24
Soda. $10 for a 12 pack is insane.
#25
Cardboard boxes for moving.
I got mine for free. Then gave them away for free. We should all be doing this all the time.
#26
Single use plastic items (starbucks cups, utensils, thin grocery bags, etc.).
#27
Reddit Premium. The value just isn’t there.
#28
Toilet wet wipes. Aside from being terrible for the environment, they’re also wreaking havoc on critical sanitation infrastructure. They don’t even get you any cleaner.
#29
McDonald’s for sure.
DependentToe9068 replied:
I can’t resist their $1 iced sugar free French vanilla coffee in the morning. It’s my kryptonite.
#30
Whatever you do buy, you shouldn’t buy it from Amazon whenever you can avoid it.