Do I Have to Buy Something?

Why are we compelled to buy something everywhere we go?

The other week I was making plans with my friend to go see the Orchids Forever Exhibit at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. I quickly suggested a set of dates because the Orchid Society was going to be there which included presentations, additional displays, and VENDORS!

Part of my thought was that this would add even more to the experience. If you are the type of person who always checks out the gift shop when you visit somewhere, “just because,” then you understand where I am coming from. Both mine and my friend’s eyes lit up when we knew there would be vendors there, and ultimately we were a bit disappointed when we realized our schedules would not coordinate for that weekend.

But then, I started thinking more about it.

Why did it matter if there were vendors?

Were we looking to go see the Orchid Exhibit Or were we looking to purchase orchids? Truthfully the former.

And this thought made me start to think deeper, about how consumerism is so ingrained into us that we associate a irreplaceable museum exhibit to be valuable only if we can buy something to take home with us.

Something about that didn’t sit right with me.

Was it Always Like This?

Shopping, as a pastime, has existed for a very long time. And I don’t think that is always a bad thing. Growing up, I would hang out with my friends at the Mall because it was a safe space, with different things to explore, while enjoying each other’s company. But, even when I was in high school, it was more about the company. Yes, maybe we would buy some food, or pick up an item or two, but I never went to the Mall with a large amount of cash or with big expectations about going on a shopping spree. It was about doing something with friends.

How often do we plan an outing, whether paid or free, and focus on what is nearby that we can buy something from? How many of us have an expectation that we need to make a purchase or bring back a souvenir for the experience to be “meaningful”?

I can recollect so many trips where I impulse bought an obscene amount of souvenirs (and nearly ran out of money). Once the trip was over, most of those items lacked allure to me and I questioned why I had purchased them. The trip was about the experience, not what I could bring back home.

Overall, the history of consumerism is complex, and not something that I can tackle in just a couple of paragraphs. But there is clear evidence that there has been a distinct paradigm shift in the rise of fast fashion. Although overconsumption has always existed in different ways, there is now an exponential shift from even a few years ago about how we are being wired to “need to buy something” for “any reason.”

Sustainability Is More Than Being “Green”

This tangent segues into one of the various forms that sustainability takes on. While sustainability is often colored green, it is a much larger concept than that. And when we talk about de-influencing overconsumption, it is deeper than the 30 second Tik Tok Reel (which is valid, but not the full picture).

An important part of consumption is “intentional purchasing,” which I dive into in my post How To Do Trends Sustainably. Regardless of when you are making a purchase, or from whom, intention is important before you finalize that transaction.

Asking yourself questions such as:

-Do I have the money to afford this right now?

-Can I buy this at a later time from a better vendor?

-Does this add value to my life or solve a problem that I am currently having?

-Am I genuinely interested in this item or have I just heart it hyped up a lot?

While this list isn’t exhaustive, making a conscious choice to care about the WHY of purchasing something, is a simple, yet key part of incorporating sustainability into our lives.

Spoiler: my friend and I didn’t purchase anything at the orchid exhibit (well other than parking and tickets) and we left completely satisfied.

Can We Buy From Small Businesses?

This may come as a surprise from someone who dedicates half of their platform to supporting small businesses, but my primary goal is not to convince you to purchase something.

Let me explain.

This is where context and intentional purchasing comes into play. I am always going to advocate for making a purchase from a small business. I have previously talked about how supporting small businesses is key to sustainability. However, you can still over consume from a small business and making a purchase may not be the most sustainable way that you can support a small business.

Supporting small businesses can take on many forms, and advocating for them to exist and have community support are key to helping shift the economy. When we talk about sustainability there is a broad picture to take into consideration. How is my decision sustainable for myself? sustainable for my local economy? sustainable for the planet?

Where Does This Leave Us?

The conversation does not end here, it is just getting started. What started as a personal reflection has made me want to challenge each of us to reflect even deeper.

Buying things has become so ingrained in everything that we do, that we may not even question if it makes sense for that activity.

I want to challenge you to think about your own consumption habits. When you make plans with a friend, visit a new city, or even just run daily errands – are you anticipating purchases that don’t match up to the agenda?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic and where you think we should go from here. Leave a comment or send me a message!