You’ve heard the term I’m sure, but have you ever wondered where the practice of retail therapy comes from? And if we’re taking the term “therapy” in it’s literal sense, is this habit of going shopping for fun actually good for you, or is it one of those cheeky sayings just used to justify our love of shopping?
I recently read a quote posted on Instagram by Fashion Open Studio and Orsola de Castro, the founder and creative director of Fashion Revolution, which made me ask the question: Is retail therapy good for us? The post, which you can read below, also made me think about how retailers are marketing in a way that promotes retail therapy, thus encouraging fast fashion.
As you know, Modern Mending aims to promote repairing and embellishing your clothes instead of buying new ones. For this reason, I was planning to put the focus on how retail therapy is bad for us and the environment. Coming from an academic background, I decided to do a little research to back up my statement.
My findings made me realize that the motivations that have brought on the rise of retail therapy are not so easy to ignore or discredit. There are of course negative impacts, which I will talk about below. But first, here are some surprising yet relatable findings on why retail therapy is so popular.
How retail therapy can be good for you
The following is a summary of the article “Why Retail Therapy Works” by Dr Kit Yarrow in Psychology Today. In her paper, she identifies 5 reasons why we use shopping as retail therapy.
Helps with transition periods
According to Yarrow, shopping has been proven to help ease us into life transitions such as getting married and having babies. The act of shopping and purchasing actually helps us visualize what is to come.
This might be the main reason why Pinterest is so popular. Creating mood boards has become a way to plan and imagine a future decor or dream up ways to update our wardrobe.
Dressing for success
The second reason we shop for clothes, according to Yarrow, is because we understand that dressing in a certain way can have positive outcomes for success. If you’ve ever put on a suit to go to work you will understand what she means. Purchasing clothes that will serve us in work or specific situations have a positive impact on our self esteem.
This is the founding principal of the non-profit organization Dress for Success, that helps women in need find work through mentoring. They also give each woman a business suit so they look and feel their best when going for job interviews.
Creative and aesthetic outlet
Third on the list, is how an object can boost creativity and our sense of aesthetic. As humans, we value beauty. Beauty of nature, but also beauty of well crafted objects.
I love shopping to get inspired on new ways to put an outfit together, discover colors or silhouettes to add to my wardrobe. I also love to touch beautiful fabric and observe up close, the craftsmanship that went into a well made garment.
Then there’s the emotional connection you can get when purchasing or being gifted a beautiful object. I recently wrote a blog post which was a love letter to my favorite bag here, and reflects what Yarrow identifies as this benefit of retail therapy.
Form of escapism
The fourth benefit, touches on how we use shopping as a way to relax and escape from our troubles. When only browsing, shopping can be a positive way to take our mind off important decisions or problems we are facing in our life at the time. It can feel like a mini-vacation. However, this one of the situations when shopping for fun can become a problem. More on this later.
Social connections
The final benefit according to Yarrow, is the social connection one gets when going out to the market to shop. Working from home, this really rings true to me because a shopping day is my favorite occasion to socialize outside of my family circle. I love interacting with cashiers, strangers in a shop and friends I might be meeting up with.
If you want to learn more about the study. Click here for the full article.
How Retail therapy can be a problem
Addiction and impulse buying
For some people, retail therapy can become addictive and increase the risk of impulse buying. I think the best story that relates to how retail therapy can become a problem is the wonderfully entertaining book “Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella.
I actually use the movie that was based on the book as “educational material” for my kids. I find it’s a good conversation starter to talk about the dangers of impulse buying especially when you have a credit card (or what the main character calls her “magic cards”). The cute romantic story line is purely added value.
Credit card debt
Speaking of magic cards, I discovered an interesting fact while reading The Penguin Book of Twentieth Century Fashion Writing, by Judith Watt. In her chapter on shopping, she mentions that the term “Retail Therapy” started to appear in the 80s around the same time that we began using credit cards. Unsurprisingly, the rise of personal debt began to soar at the same time. With more disposable cash available through credit, the act of shopping became a form of leisure.
It’s easy to understand why retail therapy is lucrative business for retailers. However, for consumers, it can become an expensive way to relax. According to the Federal Reserve, 60% of Americans can’t pay off their monthly credit card balance. With he average individual credit card debt being $6,354, this means high interest payments and the risk of a low credit score. Shopping suddenly doesn’t feel so therapeutic anymore.
Environmental impact
The other issue, is the fact that when we shop for fun and not for goods that we need, we participate in the throwaway culture of over-consumption. This is what Fashion Open Studio and Orsola de Castro were addressing in their Instagram posts. All too often, impulse buying results in garments that never get worn and are either donated or thrown out.
As we know, fast fashion and over-consumption are devastating for the environment. But if we don’t love and care for the clothes we purchase, discarding them, also belittles the work of all the people who made them.
Selling Retail Therapy
Retailers know how to encourage us to buy. They understand perfectly the five shopping motivations listed above and market to our inner motivations. This is one of the ways they get us to buy their products.
Have a look at what’s subtly written on the mirror in this store’s dressing room. Interestingly, I hadn’t even noticed the writing on the wall until I returned home and looked more closely at the picture. It’s an ingenious way to make a subtle sales pitch, and a good example of how retailers target our inner motivations.
As consumers, I think it’s important to understand what motivates us to buy. When we do, it’s easier to see through the marketing tactics and messaging. This way, we can avoid getting caught purchasing things we don’t really need.
So in order to prevent us and the future generation of consumers from getting into debt because of over-consumption, I will promote the alternative therapy: practice mending and embellishing the clothes you have as a way to relax. If you’re interested in reading more about the emotional benefits of hand work, you can check out my blog post here. If you’re ready to start embellishing your clothes, click on the link below to see the patterns I have in my shop which are designed to make your loved clothes last.
I think Fashion Open Studio and Mrs de Castro’s comment on Instagram summarizes well how we should look at shopping and retail therapy: “Buy only what you need, mend what you have, go slow.”