The Effects Of Compulsive Shopping

Shopping, a common activity conducted by almost everyone at least once a month, is such a normal subject in our everyday life, one barely puts any thoughts into the potential semiotic explanations behind it. According to the two essays, “The Signs of Shopping” and “The Science of Shopping,” Shopping has significant impacts on one’s self-identification. It is a two way straight, the consumers’ shopping styles can also influence the economic status of the retails businesses.

Black Friday shopping is a controversial issue in the United States; while many believe the day after Thanksgiving is a part of holiday festivities, others view it as destructive. Throughout “Black Friday: Consumerism Minus Civilization,” Andrew Leonard argues that the chaos of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in which crowds of Americans shop all night for extremely low prices, lessens the sophistication of Americans and the true meaning of the holidays. People become so consumed in the idea of endless sale prices that they forget to embrace what they already have, such as family, food, and shelter. He believes that Black Friday shopping has become out of control and describes the negative effects of excessive consumerism. he explains how most consumers act completely insane while Black Friday shopping and how society encourages this behavior by creating commercials and advertisements. Furthermore, Leonard states that it hurts the economy and damages one’s mental health. While Leonard is probably wrong when he claims that Black Friday shopping is completely troublesome to America’s well-being, he is right that consumerism overpowers the true significance of Thanksgiving.

It is believed that about 6% of Americans have a shopping addiction; of the 6% 90% are women. To a shopping addict trips to the mall become the main way to cope with stress, even when it is having a negative impact on the rest of their life. The addiction will affect their relationships and finances. (Omniomania: Shopping Addiction, 2010) It is a never ending merry-go-round; the stress from relationships and finances just reinforces the urge to shop more in order to feel better.

Shopping has become a daily activity which happens a billion times in America and around the world. We cannot imagine how our lives would be affected if shopping was suddenly stopped. Malcolm Gladwell and Anne Norton both write articles about two sides of modern day shopping: how consumers have impacted the retail industry and how the industry influences consumers. In the article " The Science of Shopping," Malcolm Gladwell, a well-known writer and journalist, analyzes the shopping behaviors of customers and how retailers can lure customers; while Anne Norton, a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, in

Today, Americans live in a world where we are constantly encouraged “to keep up with the Joneses” whether it be from advertisment, longer shopping hours, or multiple other factors. A surprising statistic you can find in the book, Affluenza: How overconsumption is killing us--and how to fight back, where it states that “70 percent of us visit malls each week, more than attended houses of worship” (15). Shopping has become so convenient in recent years due to online stores, as well as the growing number of shopping centers, that it’s become a problem. Kalle Lasn, co-founder of the magazine Adbusters and starter of the Occupy Movement, believes that, “Overconsumption is the mother of all of our environment problems” (197). Consumers have come to see shopping as a fun activity while spending time with friends or family. When really over consumption of material goods ultimately leads us to unhappiness, the unsatisfied desire to want more, and possibly put you into debt.

Everyday thousands of retail stores throughout the United States open up their stores in the morning for the sole purpose of attracting customers and selling them merchandise. For this assignment I decided to do a store analysis of the retail giant Wal-Mart. To begin with I will evaluate the store layout and design. Next I will explain the visual merchandising techniques used that Wal-Mart uses. Finally I will discuss the problems and recommendations that I have for Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has continually been a leader in the retail industry, and it all starts with the layout of the store.

Shopping can be defined as a compulsive buying behavior. Individuals become addicted to shopping because they see it as a stress relief, which triggers them to do it again. Women are more prone to experience compulsive buying behaviors than men.

Modern society has failed bring the burgeoning problems of addiction under control. The word “addiction” was applied to drug use in the 20th century, but now it refers to a wider variety of non-drug hobbies, such as eating, gambling and sex. To treat the devastating flood of addiction problems, it is important to understand that addiction is not just a physical problem but more of a social and psychological problem. Dislocation caused by the free market society and the pressure from family can lead to addiction.

Years ago, most people thought that it would remain impossible to click a button and place an order to buy something. Today about “195 million online American consumers” order take-out, book hotels, flights or even grocery shop (Weinstein 1). Many people can pay bills and transfer money to other people through a click of a button on their smartphone. 100,000 online consumers took a survey to reveal that most people preferred online shopping than physical shopping. 73% said it “[was] time saving” and also 58% of those people said they “liked it more because there were no crowds or lines.”(Weinstein 2). Consumers care more about the time used up than going to the store to look and try out the product in person. The internet offers a huge amount of choice and diversity in how people want to do things. But with the majority favoring online shopping, it just shows the laziness of our

I described in depth how materialism, low self-esteem, societies interests, gender roles, women’s beauty standards, and the comments and opinions of peers all influences and shapes the development of CBD in women. If we could all become more kind-hearted and open-minded it would allow people, specifically compulsive shoppers to feel more comfortable letting go of the meaning of beauty standards and gender roles that we still hang onto. We could care more about each other’s emotions and feelings instead of what we see on the outside. We could also reverse our trends and grow into a less materialistic country. This is an extreme shift in society that would take years to change. However, our society may need it at some point if we continue to let people develop disorders like CBD, allow our peers to not accept it as a serious issue, and not ensure treatments are found for the ones suffering from it. My research will probably not change all of these thing, but I hope it instead teaches readers about what compulsive buying really is. In addition, be helpful to identify it people around you who could be silently dealing with this disorder and what you can do to attempt

Mental health professionals are strongly encouraged to formulate an opinion about whether behaviors other than AOD use can be classified as addiction (Fisher & Harrison, 2103, p.288). When a person develop an addiction regardless of which form an illness and problem exist. The book mentioned that tobacco, alcohol and other drugs are not safe to use (Fisher & Harrison, 2013, p. 13). In every addiction such as, Tabaco, drugs, alcohol, sex and gambling can affect the individual and their families. When there is an age limited ton when an item has to be purchased, I believe that non-substance addiction should be in the category of drug and alcohol addiction. As human beings, an element can attack our bodies and that causes us to develop high

It was long believed that only alcohol and certain powerful drugs could cause addiction. However with the advent of neuroimaging and more recent research it has been shown that certain pleasurable activities such as gambling, shopping and sex can have similar effects on the brain. Although the DSM IV describes multiple addictions tied to specific drugs or activities, new research shows that these may be different expressions of a common underlying brain process.

As defined by (Henderson, 2000), addition can be explained as a situation in which a person becomes too dependent on a substance to the extent of not being able to live without it. The author further adds that addiction does not only involve substances as it can also be as a result of a persistent behavior. Referring to the behavioral addiction, the author termed activities such as shopping, driving, and gambling among others as capable of addicting. The author added that the easiest way of identifying addiction in a person is by observing whether or not they exhibit repeated, compulsive behavior in order to maximize rewards. Such behaviors are observed from an intense craving depicted by the victim. The most common form of addition according to the author is, however, substance based (drug

It has been theorised that those who engage in consumption-related behaviours such as drinking alcohol or smoking are more prone to impulsivity and often develop tendencies due to this. Such behaviours grant stimulation and this stimulation is what drives them to continue to carry out these actions (Goodwin, Browne, Rockloff, & Donaldson, 2015). There have been multiple studies in the past that have studied these ideas. Henges and Marczinski (2012) found that alcohol consumption was able to be predicted by one 's

Shopping and buying have become an addiction, to consume increasingly of what is not needed. Consumers are compelled to shop and purchase items that are, for a brief time, marketed at a discounted rate.