Anyone else walk into a big box store and feel like they’re the only ones awake in some sort of toxic capitalist matrix?

[brazilianchristianlady]

@doubra I feel the same with online retailers. Amazon, shein, temu ... Like don't me wrong I do occasionally place an Amazon order, there's some things that are hard to get elsewhere. But with baby stuff it's Amazon everything. Amazon registries, Amazon gift cards ...

Someone in a moms group recently recommended and linked to a teether from a random Amazon drop shipping seller. Half the people in the group then went and bought it too. A soft plastic toy, your child is meant to put in their mouth! I thought I was going nuts but didn't know exactly how to say something without coming across as super preachy so just said nothing.

We also organised a clothes swap in my community recently and TBF most baby clothes where from normal brands like H&M, JoJoMama ... but some people dropped of bags and bags unopened shein clothing. It's just kinda sad. I don't think anyone took them so they'll probably end up in the landfill anyway

The screen time is a whole other can of worms. We're in a place that's pretty accepting of children, yet you go to s restaurant and it's all screens everywhere

 

[dj1skywalker]

@brazilianchristianlady The Temu “shop like a billionaire” slogan really put me off. Spend frivolous money on bullshit you don’t need with zero regard for the economic, environmental, or societal impact? It’s actually the perfect way to describe a Temu purchase. I’ll never ever buy anything from them and I’ve scaled way back on my Amazon purchases.

My MIL gave us a teething toy from some Amazon alphabet company and it’s just going in the trash I’m afraid.

 

[j185]

@dj1skywalker Sometimes the marketing does the opposite SO LOUDLY! I thought the same thing about “shop like a billionaire” but also- billionaires don’t buy disposable clothes and plastic crap. If they buy a can opener, it’s not one that’s going to break and need to be replaced. It’s QUALITY.

 

[osaze]

@brazilianchristianlady I absolutely feel this with retailers. I see so many people getting almost everything for their new baby from amazon, or for themselves. everything from wearables to stuff to eat and drink off of, it’s surprising that more people don’t know or don’t think to look into it.

 

[tobelieveinhim]

@osaze Thank you for validating me about this. We're working on our daughter's playroom for her first birthday and I'm being very particular about what we buy/receive as gifts. I'm in a Montessori group on FB and the items that are shared from Amazon just astound me. There's no questioning where it's made or if it's safe. Makes me question the logic of everyone in the group.

Then again, a gardening group I'm in has people claiming to plant Bradford pears just to be contrarian.

 

[doubra]

@brazilianchristianlady Plastic clothes in plastic bag, bought brand new, never worn, and dumped

 

[samira742]

@brazilianchristianlady The online retailers, yes! It’s 100% where I see the byproduct of a late stage capitalist hellscape. These websites make it FAR too easy to buy straight garbage - one click, cheap purchases that arrive at your door seemingly instantaneously. A slot machine that always wins. You don’t even have to move! Wall-E life for sure.

Recently my mom stayed with me from out of town. She’s a ditz and accidentally packed my bath towels that I bought from target. She sends me replacements, the cheapest from Amazon. I’m like dude… these are in no way the same as my basic Target bath towels. I didn’t even open the package, straight to the donation bin. What a waste. It was easy for her though, no thought, zero effort, no shipping, sitting on her couch and a couple thumbs movements.

What’s the answer? Critical thinking skills? Greater difficulty to purchase items? Probably more than that but it’s a start.

 

[zenbible]

@samira742 i don’t store my credit card anywhere online. my husband joked “are you that bad with money?” no im that GOOD with money! people want to think they are smarter or less susceptible to external forces than the average person but the real protection against these forces is to realize you are NOT. it’s like how thinking you’re above being scammed is like the biggest vulnerability to being scammed. E-commerce companies have gamified the whole purchase process and made it as frictionless as possible. billions of dollars and countless hours of market testing have been spent on perfecting these strategies. i know this first hand because i work in the industry. the best personal protection against wasteful purchases is adding friction and limiting your exposure in the first place.

 

[j185]

@samira742 Couldn’t she have just mailed them back to you? Buying and entirely new (inferior) set, even the cheapest on Amazon was less than a small flat rate box?

Also how does someone accidentally pack towels in their suitcase to go home?

ETA: I remember my mom giving me a towel when I moved out that she accidentally brought home from a hotel. So- it happens! I just can’t picture putting anyone’s towel in my suitcase but maybe someday I’ll eat my words!

 

[samira742]

@j185 You don’t know how many times I’ve thought that. I’m salty about it. I think it was laziness on her part. I have a newborn taking my time/attention and it wasn’t worth the argument. I’m also salty that she didn’t tell me after she knew - I asked after going crazy looking for the towels I set out for her.

I know it sounds nuts that she did it in the first place. And it is, lol. How she didn’t notice is… well, it’s just her. She’s been absentminded her whole life. This is a person who, when I was a child, accidentally threw away her keys at fast food restaurants on multiple occasions - not just once. She’d set them on the tray and forget when dumping everything into the bin. I thought this was something that all adults did until I grew up and realized it wasn’t a universal issue .

She had a very traumatic childhood and operates without therapy, if that helps explain it. She has a good heart and wouldn’t maliciously steal my towels. Our relationship is strained but still functional. Gotta take the good with the bad when it comes to family.

 

[j185]

@samira742 Yeah, it’s nice you’re understanding about it. It’s tough to realize you’ve emotionally matured past your parents at like… 9 years old (in my experience anyway.) I’m glad she hasn’t made any catastrophic oopsies! You’re a good sport about it, but it’s hard to carry it all sometimes. It’s really not worth bringing up, I totally get it.

My dad once visited after I had a baby and tried out our bidet.. apparently didn’t know how to use one and mistakes were made. He didn’t know to dry with toilet paper either and used a nice bath towel.. hung it back up very dirty.. the bathroom was a disaster.. when I went in I was horrified and then trying to clean up after him.. was not a good time. I never said a word because he’d be embarrassed and wouldn’t clean it up well anyway. THATS how I got new bath towels from Target!

 

[samira742]

@j185 It’s funny you have your own bath towels from Target story although albeit a more disgusting one. You nailed it when you said matured past your parents at like 9 years old. That’s exactly how it is. I almost put in my first reply “and this is how I ended up so self-sufficient and independent”.

 

[doubra]

@j185 The towels were just a click away and probably delivered in an hour from god knows where by an underpaid overworked person.