Our society is changing by the day. Many changes were already in the works, but the pandemic has accelerated that, especially when it comes to shopping. The amount of businesses - large and small - that have gone bankrupt in the last few years is astounding. The push for online is high, and personally, I do not like it. I know some people only shop online and love it. For me though, the act of going shopping is a form of therapy - even if I don't buy anything. Also, the hassle of not knowing if something will fit, the quality, having to send it back, etc.... is not worth it to me. Being an avid reader, I have read 2 books (The Warehouse and Qualityland) where the future is a dystopian world where an Amazon like corporation is the only place to work/live/shop. That's a big "nope" for me, but I fear that is where we are headed.
My personal preference to shop in person is nothing though compared to the loss of retail jobs and vacant, dilapidated buildings I drive by daily (since no one wants to reuse them - we always have to have new, new new!).
Just getting some of my thoughts out there as I have seen the following interesting trends recently:
Subscription boxes have been popular for years now, but you get to KEEP what is in them. How do you feel about clothing rental boxes? Since I shop second hand anyway, I don't mind it, but what happens to the clothes when they get too "used"? Nuuly is a newer rental company that has peaked my interest because is specializes in the brands I like such as Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters, etc.... Did you know that if you go to Anthropologie's website right now, and type "nuuly" into the search bar, you will find used clothes that Nuuly is no longer renting out for purchase? This might be a good way to get a piece you missed out on, in addition to the resources of eBay, Poshmark, Thred Up, buy/sell/trade boards. I'm also seeing more brands offer rental right on their site, like Loft and Banana Republic. Again, I question how this can be profitable for them? Based on my own purchases from those stores, how could an item hold up to multiple rentals? If you watch sales, you can purchase something about the same or cheaper than renting it. At what price point is rental worth it - for both the consumer and seller?
Speaking of Thred Up, did you know you can search for and purchase Thred Up items on Walmart's website? Seeing the rental option and second hand items for sale on these sites is telling me that retailers are doing anything and everything to try new ways to make money. We will continue to see more and more of this.
I've been a fan of LuLaRoe since it began (mostly their dresses), and if you are a fan too you know that consultants will do live videos on social media to sell the items. What I have noticed though, is some of the top sellers have now gone off on their own and sort of made their own "home shopping network" channel where you can buy just about anything??? So they've basically made a career out of warehousing a bunch of stuff - clothes, home goods, food items, etc..... - and selling it on social media via videos. Good for them, but this is odd to me.
A few weeks ago, Steinmart announced their closure. This is probably my Mom's favorite store, and you know I've found some pretty amazing things there too! Anyway, since this blog is mostly about shopping I wanted to share what has been in my head. What are your thoughts about online versus in person shopping? Do you buy used clothing or try rentals? Has there been a store closure you've been particularly bummed about?
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