Overconsumption Core: Can you Really Have it all?

Is the lesser the better? The more the marrier?

Hi, everyone! Happy fall! The leaves are changing, the holidays are approaching, and we are getting into a big spending season. Now, I'm no Dave Ramsey, but I can confidently say, this is one of the most expensive seasons in the year. But I'm not here to tell you how to spend your money, but I am here to talk about a recent trend, that has been developing over the past few years, and seems like it will be sticking around for a while. Before we begin I would like to go over a few terms that might not make sense if you do not use Tik Tok or have not seen these videos:

• Haul: a video of a person showing all of their most recent purchases

• "*genre" tok: this term describes the genre of video you are watching on Tik Tok. For example if I say "I'm on the fashion side of Tik Tok" it means I'm watching mainly fashion videos or if I say "fashion tok" it means the video had something to do fashion

• Restocking haul: this is a video in which people film themselves restocking shelves in their house. This is usually made when someone is restocking thier pantry after grocery shopping but it has taken other forms, like skincare and makeup.

If you have been on Tik Tok, you've more than likely seen a "haul" video, or a "restock" video, or a "thrift/shop with me" video. If you're like me, you love these videos and think they are so interesting. These are also a great way to keep on the trends and seeing what products and brands are popular right now. Haul videos have been popular since the rise of Youtube, however, there has been a recent rise of consumerism that reminds me a lot of the waves of consumerism in the 1920's, 50's, and 80's. However, this is all a lot of information to take in all at once. So, I am going to break this up into a series in which we explore American consumerism throughout the years, why buying power is so strong right now, what's influencing everyone to want so many things, what this means for the future, and how to be an informed consumer. In this part we are going to put together a make-shift timeline of how consumerism has boomed throughout the years and how those trends played out through times. I have included hyperlinks throughout this post, feel free to check out my research and learn more about this topic!

American consumption increased in the 1920's due to the advancement and innovation of industry and the increase in wages. Buying power was backed by the newely developed credit system in which consumers could "buy now, pay later". With this, being able to purchase goods was easier than ever and more people could buy new products, like radios or the newly developed Ford Model T even if they didn't have the money up front. According to Khan Academy, Henry Ford was able to lower the cost of the Model T by $550 due to his use of the assembly line to produce his vehicles.

After World War II, America went through another wave of consumerism. According to PBS.org, "Between 1945 and 1949, Americans purchased 20 million refrigerators, 21.4 million cars, and 5.5 million stoves, a trend that continued well into the 1950s". More people were buying cars and living in the suburbs, working to earn the things they wanted, and just generally trying to make the ideal life. There were more options for dining out with the creation of fast food restaurants. According to Emma Wresch, these economic growths continued to improve steadily into the 1980's.

Consumerism in the 1980's was a bit different than normal because, according to New Retro.net, the 1980's was a time that consumers started being loyal to a brand and brands began to have an identity. There were new products with new ways to interact with them. With the evolution of shopping malls and new technology, everyone wanted to go out shopping and get their hands on all the new gadgets (reasonably so).

So, it's no surprise to me that consumerism is high right now in America. It started with the pandemic and the rise of online shopping. According to Investopedia, in 2021, 11% of people said they were spending more on clothes. But, while personal spending had increased, money spent on other things, like transportation had decreased due to the quarantine. Overall, Covid changed spending habits. However, I don't think this is the only contribution.

Something I have noticed as of recently is that many companies will come out with a product and then all of the sudden there will be a million products to go with the one initial product. I first noticed this trend Covid, but I really thought about it and this has been a trend for years. For example, think of the Stanley cups. Initally, it was the perfect cup. But then, you needed a silicone wrap to go around the bottom of the cup so that the metal doesn't scrape on the surface it's sat on. Then, you need a rubber straw cover so that air particles don't get into your drink. Then, you need an apoxy straw slider to go over the lid so that you can have your name on your cup. Then, you need an internal cup divider so that you can put two drinks in one cup. Then, you need a mini cup to put on top of the cup so you can have your snack and drink all in one. Then, you need a purse that has a special pocket just for the cup. Where does it end? Why do you need so many accessories? However, this has been happening for years. Bath and Body Works is a great example of this. I remember always loving their mini hand sanitizers. But you could never just get a hand sanitizer. You also needed a little rubber holder to put on your book bag. Now there's candle holders and wall plug-ins. Or, the cell phone industry. You get your cell phone, then you need a case and a screen protector. There are so many things to need and want. Which leads me to my next point: influencers.

However, not to keep on the edge of your seat, but I will talk more about influencers in my next post. I will also, likely, go into more detail about the current popular markets, like Stanley and why they work so well. But until then, best wishes,

Livi