this post was submitted on 08 Apr 2024
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Buy it for Life

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[–] [email protected] 145 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (6 children)

“The average American buys more than one new piece of clothing per week. If that matches your shopping habits, in a span of five years you have purchased more than 320 pieces of clothing.”

Who the fuck is buying multiple pieces of clothing every week? I don’t know anyone that does that. I feel like buys-ridiculous-amounts-of-clothing George is an outlier and shouldn’t be counted.

[–] Yondoza 58 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Do individual socks count? If so, buying a 10 pack of socks and a 6 pack of undies gets you through half a year by this metric.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Man, I don't even do that every year. Maybe every 3-5 years. I do not buy clothes very often at all.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 44 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It really is the entitled version of the boots theory. I wear my clothes literally hundreds of times before they get worn out and this article is suggesting that 10 wears of "cheap" ($50) clothes and it's trash time. This article is way out if touch to the average non-fashion obsessed buyer imo.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I may be a snob because the socks go in the bin, when the holes grow too big.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

"too" big, sure, but not when they first appear

[–] Grandwolf319 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

TIL that I’m probably entitled cause when I see a small hole, that socks goes to trash and the other one in the pair becomes orphaned.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Hey as long as you're not throwing out both if one gets a hole, I'm glad to have you on the team.

[–] Grandwolf319 6 points 8 months ago

Yeah exactly, the orphan must now wait until a matching orphan joins it. Then it can be worn just a bit longer!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, just google how to darn them. Socks are super easy to fix

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Big sock doesn't want you to know this pro tip!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

They're talking about the average US American, not the BIFL crowd. We're a special group, and they're trying to nudge more people our direction

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Judging by the amount of clothes at second hand stores in the US, its mostly middle class women

[–] [email protected] -1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

I have a shopaholic aunt who is said to wear things she buys once on avg. She could open her own 2nd hand shop (or if she moved her stock to Europe she could open ~6 2nd-hand shops). Many women in my family are inflicted with this disease to varying degrees. It’s a gender-specific disease that I think men are immune to.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Men are not immune to it, but it is less common

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

looks at $150 Warhammer model next time buddy, I'll grab a paint pot on my way out, and maybe a brush, hmm I need better sprue cutters...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Wow that's wasteful

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

It's called, "not addressing my personal issues," aka "retail therapy." It's not gender specific, it's common and manifests in multiple ways.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Back of the envelope, to keepy work uniform crispy, every six months or so I need to obtain:

  • two work shirts

  • two undershirts

  • two pairs pants

  • a five-pack of boxers

  • a pair of shoes

That's twelve, times two to get the yearly average. I also get a six-pack of socks every other year or so, call that twenty-seven per year, plus one or two purchased for me as gifts (gloves, sweatshirts, hats, ties), call it thirty.

There's fifty-four weeks in a year. Either the author is out-of-touch or I'm already following their advice, IDK. I just found brands that are comfortable and wear them until they're discontinued. Personally, I wish I was buying clothes less often; I hate that I go through work shirts and pants so fast, in particular.

Edit: bad arithmetic originally. Revised estimate is more in line with author's projection but still significantly lower.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Well, if you average it, maybe. I tend to get clothes en masse -- I don't get one pair of socks. They do say "average".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I think I've bought 2 pieces this year.