What Causes the Shopping Addiction and Damages the Finanaces?

The digital media is working effectively to keep users updated with the latest sales and offers available, either at the retail stores or on the websites. According to the Fox Business News Channel, among the U.S. consumers the use of digital media per week is 15 hours. Within minutes, majority of the American’s digital consumers checks most of their emails on the cell phones and find out about the best deals or offers available for any product. According to the National Small Business Association, almost 30 percent of the small businesses are using digital media to advertise their products for business. This digital media is working as a constant reminder for consumers to get motivated and rush to malls or on websites to get the best deals. Moreover, some companies, for instance, Tesco in U.K. are pursuing more strategies to make their stores more inviting by building restaurants, coffee shops and fashion stores inside the four walled stores (Tandon). Although, shopping and spending more money can bring and disturb the weekly or monthly finances, still some shoppers cannot control the shopping addiction. There can be many reasons which cause the shopping addiction and by understanding them, can help to take control of the shopping addiction and to manage finances better in everyone’s life.



 

Among many causes of shopping addiction, the first cause is “to fill the empty space” in our routines and lives (Hall 1). Everyone crave for love so people buy all kinds of accessories and the amusement and enjoyment that comes from the shopping experience, simply becomes an addiction. After a while, this addiction or compulsion does not bring true pleasure. Instead, the shopping obsession invites damages of anyone’s well-being, their relationships, and their finances.

The second cause of shopping obsession comes in the lives of bargain hunters and they become obsessive, in the quest of finding everything an awesome reduced value. Consequently, this kind of shoppers want to inform and impress their friends by theirs skill of bargaining. Thus, bargain hunters end up buying products which they will not need or will use, in any near future. The only reason bargain hunters buy products because they find it at a very low price.

The third reason for the shopping addiction is the “cultural lie” which is the satisfaction and cheerfulness someone gets from the possession and collecting of goods (Hall). It is commonly observed that the more someone owns, the gladder he or she will be.

The fourth reason of shopping fascination can be related to the childhood. On one hand, some children may have got presents instead of attention and time and grow up wanting more material assets. On the other hand, some grew up in stressful emotional and poor financial situations. When they get the power to afford the shopping costs, they overbuy to forget the way things were in their past.  

With holiday season coming up, online and in-store discounts, it is easy to fall in the viscous cycle of reckless spending and disturbing the finances. According to a 2006 study from Stanford University in the American Journal of Psychiatry, shopping addiction is a serious form of mental disorder which has not been studied extensively yet. To fulfill, the pleasure of love, quest of bargaining, satisfaction of owning goods or to overcome the depression of childhood; no matter whatever causes the shopping addiction. It is our duty to educate ourselves to overcome the overspending and manage finances wisely.

Work Cited         

Hall, K. (n.d.). What causes shopping addiction? Retrieved October 09, 2013, from www.sharecare.com.

Landau, E. (2012, January 03). Compulsive shopping: When spending is like substance abuse. Retrieved October 09, 2013, from www.cnn.com.

Tandon, S. (2013, September 18). Social media is affecting shopping: Simmon Hay. Retrieved October 7, 2013, from www.livemint.com.

Willis, G. (2013, October 8). How small business can boost success through social media. Retrieved October 09, 2013, from video.foxbusiness.com.