What I Learned from the Nordstrom Sale and Prime Day Hoopla
I wrote in a recent Sunday Summary that there are two peak times of year where the shopping bug bites me a little harder than others - once in the summer and once in the fall. Apparently Nordstrom and Amazon both got that memo, because they (along with every other retailer in America) thought July was an opportune time to capitalize on my weakness.
On July 12th I spent hours scrolling the (really poorly laid out, I might add) deals on Amazon. I searched high and low for every midi or maxi dress available, which led me to bathing suit cover ups, which reminded me that I should probably check out the travel gear since we have a few trips coming up, and before I knew it, I was ready to pull the trigger on a top-of-the-line air purifier for no reason other than it was on sale. It was maddening!
Once I snapped out of the hypnosis of Amazon’s Prime Day Deals, I decided to waste more hours scouring the Nordstrom Sale to save items to the black hole of a wishlist I’d been curating for the better part of a week thanks to every influencer on Instagram.
It’s hard to describe the sense of urgency I felt to gobble things up while they were on sale before Sharon from Michigan got to them first! I have a hunch you know the feeling I’m talking about. These summer sales are tough to resist, especially when there’s a defined time limit on said sales that actively counts down in the corner of your screen.
It was time for a little introspection.
After purchasing nothing the day before, I found myself scrolling again the next morning. WHY?! As soon as I realized what I was doing, I frantically closed out of the window and, I kid you not, decided to go read some personal finance articles as a way out of the shopping trap. I landed on an article about a capsule wardrobe that someone built with 21 items. (Let’s ignore the fact that this article was also about clothes.)
Twenty-one items. That’s their whole wardrobe.
I recently did a major purge of my closet and easily sacked more than 21 items, and I still have an ENTIRE wardrobe left. That, my friends, was the healthy dose of perspective I was looking for.
After letting go of 21+ items, I got curious about the number of clothing items (shoes included) that I’d acquired during this calendar year. I opened up Amazon again, but rather than clicking the Prime Day button, I viewed my past orders and wrote down every clothing item in a notebook. I then scoured my email for similar purchases from other stores and wrote those down, too.
I am embarrassed to admit that the total was 32 ITEMS. 32!!!!!!
I’ve been over here priding myself on how infrequently I shop and how rental services have completely changed my relationship with clothes, yet I still managed to add 32 items to my closet this year AND IT’S ONLY JULY. <gulp> I was a little delusional.
That handwritten list of purchases served as the metaphorical anti-itch cream I needed for the shopping bug bite that was ailing me earlier.
To be fair, I’ve worn some of those items incessantly, and others, like underwear, were super necessary to replace my decade-old versions with major VPL issues. BUT there are some clothes on the list that I have yet to put on my body, but I was still in active pursuit of new items to fill my recently purged closet in the name of a good deal!
For what it’s worth, I can share with you my justification for my virtual spree.
My mind was laser focused on upcoming trips. Did I have the right outfits for an Italian summer vacation? Did I have the “right kind of casual” dress for an upcoming girls trip? Should I get some new jammies while I’m at it? How about shoes? Did I have waterproof shoes that were comfy enough for rocky beaches and lots of stair climbing?
It all felt reasonable at the time, but I was losing sight of a few things: 1) vacations are supposed to be about the experience and 2) those vacations will eventually cost more money because we’re, you know, ACTUALLY VACATIONING!
Here’s the dealio: It is wise to buy items when they’re on sale if you were going to purchase them full price anyway. The situation I found myself in wasn’t quite the same. I was seeking out new things because they were on sale. There’s a difference!
Shopping antidotes
Take a social media break: I’m not going to swear off shopping altogether because I know that’s unrealistic, but I can pump the breaks…and maybe even throw on the emergency break while I’m at it, just in case. If you find yourself plagued by a constant barrage of new things like I have been lately - stop consuming it. It’s hard to keep up with the Joneses when you don’t know what they’re up to, ya know?
Take stock: I plan to “shop my closet” the next time I get a hankering for something new, especially now that I realize there are 32 items < 6 months old that should be satisfying that craving already! I’m going to get creative with the pieces that I have and try to pair things differently, switch up accessories, and put some mileage on some of the more dormant clothes in my closet.
Take what you see with a grain of salt: I’ve gotten enough free products during my time on YouTube to feel confident saying that a large portion of what you see on Instagram is sent to influencers for free. Regulations around the disclosure of gifted items are a bit unclear, pretty inconsistent, and not enforced well on short form content. There’s nothing wrong with people making a living from sponsored content and referral programs, you just have to remember they’re running businesses. If shopping isn’t your job, it’s probably going to cost you a heck of a lot more than it costs them to look “so freaking cute” in that dress they’re “obsessed” with.
Final Thoughts
Some of the things I’ve purchased this year have been well loved and incessantly worn, and I’m genuinely glad that I purchased them. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with shopping every now and again, but I can’t shake the feeling that social media and these constant HUGE, EXCLUSIVE sales are contributing to a lot of unnecessary over consumption of things that most of us don’t need. I felt this crazy, unnecessary pressure to buy, buy, buy because everyone else was, and it was stressful more than fun, if I’m being honest!
On the flip side, if you bought 900 things during these sales, I’ll still be your friend — promise! Some of those recent purchases may turn out to be your favorites for years to come! But if you were feeling the pressure to hop on the deals during the last few hours of the Prime Day sales for no real reason, here’s your “out” if you were looking for one!