#seriously look up Dr. Temple Grandin. she's a huge inspiration and role model for me

[radmista]

That lady is animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin, she has a PhD in animal science and teaches it as well at Colorado University. She is incredible and has been integral to improving the conditions of slaughterhouses by being a big consultant on their layout and animal welfare. 1000% reccomend looking into her and her contributions.

Anyway, are you guys talking about the winding back and forth area for the line to the register that's just filled with like candy and trinkets? Or the intentional way places like supermarkets are laid out to force you to walk past stuff like fruits/veggies and breads before getting to the coolers that are towards the back. Either way, stores are definitely made that way to tempt or "remind" you to buy more shit. Hoping that if you see if you'll think "hey yeah I probably need that too, might as well" and before you know it you're spending way more than you set out to.

I think the most insidious aspect of these designs are the sale/deal racks right in front of the cashiers. Stuff like cereal or Mac and cheese or cheapo juice. Stuff that are great to stock up on esp if you're on a budget and man it looks so tempting when you see buy 2 get 1 free and how convenient it's right before you check out! One of my least favorite traps. I tend to hyperfocus when I shop so I usually go in for what I want and make my way out, even able to ignore the racks of stuff by the cashier, but if it says sale I'm drawn in until I can talk myself out of it.

I do think in a way it does make waiting in line "less stressful" because it gives the people waiting in line something to do while also getting them to spend money without realizing it. Your mind can be occupied while you're trudging behind a line of people. Do you have enough brain space to be annoyed at how slow the line is moving if every few paces you're seeing a new selection of STUFF you could have. And if you're at a standstill, you're staring at that marked off crap long enough it wears you down and bam, get that slight dopamine hit at having something new.

There are a lot of people who have serious addictions to buying and shopping. And I think a lot of people don't realize it because they think their shopping and spending isn't the same kind as what they envision shopping addicts buying (clothes and accessories). But I've know people who compulsively buy commissions or giant collector pins or memorabilia from their favorite show or sports team. People don't consider things like OP mentioned, buying a special coffee every day at the same time (sometimes more than once a day) as a form of spending addiction.

It gives you that instant gratification and with more and more transactions made online or through card (so virtual money) its driven down our inhibitions on freely spending money. We don't have that visual and phsyical reminder of how much money we have anymore because most of it is digitized. It's easier to reign yourself in when all you have in your wallet is $30, but with a piece of plastic that has access to your entire bank account I mean, the sky's the limit if you have poor impulse control. Even worse if you have credit cards and poor impulse control, its not even your money it's borrowed or theoretical money (that you have to pay back eventually). However you look at it, you aren't technically spending your money with that purchase in the moment, and that's how people rack up crazy credit card debt. It wears away your ability to properly gage what you're able to spend.

If you find you have a hard time keeping tabs on yourself when shopping online or even out in a store (since yknow credit/debit cards), I'd try looking at your bank account balance before making a purchase. Give yourself a visual reminder of what you have, and do that math, are you really willing to spend $50 on 2 articles of clothing, $25 a piece. Do you really want it, or is it just kind of meh and you wanted the rush of spending and having something new? Not as easy when you're looking at your balance and mentally checking in how that purchase will affect it. When you're going shopping, stop at an atm (preferably your banks so you aren't charged a fee) and pull out some cash, and give yourself a limit. I know I get more squeamish pulling out a sum of cash from the atm than I would have spending that amount on my debit card. It gives you a physical reminder and anchor to how much you are paying. It helps build your awareness of your money and how you're spending it since so much of modern shopping has done its best to wear down our perception of how much we're spending.

It is really interesting that buying something does give you a high. once you realize that it’s like…honestly crazed realizing buying/shopping/spending is an addiction. I will be sitting at my desk thinking “bored…I should go get an iced mocha” like the iced mocha isn’t even the thing I want it’s going and spending money!! The impulse is to stick your card into a little box that makes a little ding and suddenly you’re handed something as if by magic. And what’s crazy is that so many people don’t realize this. I really need to have a two month sabbatical in the woods I think it will reset my brain