Deleted Taobao, Jingdong, Pinduoduo, sophomore girls challenged "not online shopping"
□ Zhang Weina, reporter of Changjiang Daily
Does online shopping really save money and time?
Half a year ago, 20-year-old Xiao Zhao decided to be a minority of the times: he would no longer be an online shopping "chopper" and pull himself out of irrational consumption.
According to the 48th "Statistical Report on Internet Development in China" released by the China Internet Network Information Center, as of June 2021, there were 1.011 billion netizens in China, of which 812 million were online shoppers.
Young Xiao Zhao refused to be one of the 800 million.
■ I collected a box of shower gel and shampoo, which is estimated to be enough for four years
Xiao Zhao is a sophomore student at Central China Normal University and just turned 20 this year.
When he was in high school, the surrounding classmates had already started shopping online. As the only student in the class without a mobile phone, Xiao Zhao's daily needs were handled by his mother.
The fun of online shopping didn't begin until she went to college.
After going to college, Xiao Zhao, like everyone else, became keen on online shopping. All the necessities of life were purchased online.
She once bought more than 20 lipsticks in a month; the price of the same sweater she bought online was more than 100 yuan cheaper than that in the physical store; in order to enjoy the full discount, she collected a box of shower gel and shampoo, "University Four years is probably enough."
During the winter vacation of her freshman year, she wore cotton clothes and sweaters purchased online to go home for the New Year. Her mother looked at her from top to bottom: "How come I went to college, the more cheap the clothes are."
Mother was right.
Xiao Zhao is keen on online shopping, and even more keen on comparing prices online.
"Online prices are transparent. For the same product, you always want to place an order with the cheapest one." It was not until later that Xiao Zhao realized that this is psychologically called "profit-seeking psychology". A buying mentality of "doing more with less", the core of which is "cheap".
That winter, Xiao Zhao bought three cotton-padded clothes cheaply, but all of them leaked and were not warm.
The sweater inside was originally picked by her in a physical store. In order to compare the price online, she secretly took a photo of the sweater. Through a search on Taobao, she found that the same sweater on the Internet was more than 100 yuan cheaper than the physical store.
But after she received it, she always felt that it was different from the physical store, but she couldn't tell where the difference was. Thinking that it was cheaper by more than 100 yuan, she persuaded herself to "get what you pay for" and did not return it.
Online shopping also made Xiao Zhao lost in the "exquisite, light luxury, niche" atmosphere.
"It seems that if I buy these things, I will become as refined as a model." For this reason, she bought a lot of things that seem useless now, such as various fragrances, necklaces, earrings, cups, etc., which cost a lot of money .
But every time she buys it back, she will find that these things are often just attractive pictures and do not suit her style.
■ After rejecting online shopping, the former Moonlight clan can save money
Does online shopping really make people happy?
Xiao Zhao said that the moment he placed the order, he did get instant happiness, but when he found out that the clothes were not the right version or fit after receiving the order, he would fall into entanglement and contradiction, "On the one hand, I wanted to return, but I persuaded myself not to. retreat".
Does online shopping really save money?
This is the second question Xiao Zhao asked himself in his introspection.
Online shopping made her unaware of the act of "ordering". Amid the clamor of "buy it", she placed an order for more than 20 lipsticks a month.
There are more and more lipstick numbers, but the one or two are still commonly used.
More and more clothes are bought, and the ones that I like to wear are the ones that fit in the store bought. "It seems that it is cheap to buy, but it is actually a waste in disguise."
Does shopping really save time?
In Xiao Zhao's view, the shopping platform has both social attributes.
When she was in self-study, she would open the shopping website to browse unconsciously, and an hour passed before she knew it.
In the WeChat group, friends will send a shopping link from time to time, asking everyone to help "cut a knife".
After being promoted to sophomore year, Xiao Zhao made a decision. She deleted shopping platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, and also uninstalled platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin.
She sorted out the items she bought online, some of them were given to the school's "Love Club", and some of them were thrown away for disposal.
After some "break up", Xiao Zhao's life also became refreshing.
Now, if there is a need for daily necessities, she will solve it in the school's supermarket.
When you need to buy clothes during the season, she will make a list and go to the mall to buy one-stop shopping.
"Really follow your own heart and actual needs, and live a life that makes the most of everything", this is her current shopping purpose.
From online to offline, Xiao Zhao found that he could save money instead.
Xiao Zhao's monthly living expenses are 1,800 yuan. Before shopping online, she was inadvertently "moonlight", but now, she can save two or three hundred yuan a month.
■ In the voice of "buy, buy, buy", Xiao Zhao remained calm
Just in the past March 8th International Women's Day, brands and businesses have been moving early, and various marketing activities have been carried out.
In the sound of "buy, buy, buy", Xiao Zhao remained calm.
Not only her, but now, a group of young people like Xiao Zhao have begun to say no to uncontrolled impulse consumption, shouting the slogan "don't buy".
Many netizens reflect on behaviors such as blind and follow-through consumption through rational discussions.
Xiao Zhao explained to reporters that "we can get happiness without consumption", but the original intention is not to refuse consumption, but to try to guide people to reflect and examine the behavior of shopping, and find out what is "excessive desire" and what is "intelligence quotient". tax”, thereby reducing irrational consumption.
The netizen "Broken Iron" said that she had bought a storage cabinet before, but later found that it did not solve the problem of storage, but turned the storage cabinet into another item that needs to be "storage".
"When there are so many things that need to be organized in a storage cabinet, you need to think about how many things are really needed, and how many are just consumed because of a momentary fever."
■ Challenge "no online shopping" and regain control over life
"Smashed Iron" said that from live broadcasts to netizens' sharing, consumption is being stimulated everywhere in the market. "By inciting anxiety, everyone can continue to buy because of anxiety to meet their pseudo-demands."
The reporter saw that in order to resist the temptation of the consumer market, netizens have come up with many small coups.
For example, some people share that they will lose 80% of their desire to buy if they take off Weibo, a blogger who sells clothes.
Some netizens, from the perspective of color psychology, turn the theme of the shopping software into green, and they will have no desire to buy.
During the Double Eleven period, there were more than 200 replies under the post "Rejecting the double eleven routines of merchants", and the most liked comment was "Sleep on time is better than any skin care shampoo", which received more than 1,000 likes.
Netizen Xiaofan told reporters that at the age of 30, she has never downloaded shopping software, and she and her mother still insist on offline shopping.
In Xiaofan's view, offline shopping can make people more rational.
During the interview, Xiao Zhao repeatedly emphasized to the Changjiang Daily reporter that what she refused was not online shopping, but an unnecessary demand.
She said: The challenge of "not shopping online" not only saves money, but also means that you will no longer be distracted by the products you want to buy in your study and life, and you will no longer click into the dazzling stores when you see a wide range of stores, which means that you will not be distracted from your studies and life. With more time, "by rejecting undisciplined online shopping, we can regain a sense of control over our lives and devote more energy to inner fulfillment and self-sufficiency."
But in this era, it is not easy to free yourself from the consumer desire to "buy, buy, buy".
Two of Xiao Zhao's friends had planned to refuse online shopping together with Xiao Zhao. Unfortunately, one friend only lasted for a week, and the other lasted for a month.
At a time when consumption desires are popular, clearly advocating "don't buy" is another voice of rational consumption.