Bankr upted by the haul

Is “little treat” culture hiding a darker and more insidious approach to shopping that’s having a detrimental impact on our bank balances—and our mental health? Harriet Hall investigates...

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Hi everyone, so today I’ve got a pretty little thing haul. It has been so long since I’ve done one, so we're back!

Lucy Ledgeway buzzes, her infectious high spirits ricocheting off the beige and silver tones of her immaculate, empty bedroom.

Actually, it’s not completely empty. Poodle cross Coco (also beige) is sprawled on the bed, chameleoning into the duvet. Oh yes, and me. I'm here on Zoom, watching Lucy tear open the packaging of her latest delivery for her 3,16,000 TikTok followers and 97,000 YouTube subscribers. Today’s batch contains 10 items, and I watch as she holds up hot pants, corset tops, halter dresses, and jumpsuits to her phone camera, each getting its moment in the spotlight as she describes them in her warm Lancashire twang, “I’m obsessed with this!” “I just love these!” “Definitely wearing that to Marbs next year!” Lucy whips through with breakneck efficiency, clothes accumulating around her, stumbling just once—Oh my god, how do I say it? Band-o?” she turns to me, I nod, trying not to break her flow and she launches right back in, beaming —"Yeah, I feel like Sabrina Carpenter has us all obsessed with these bandeau dresses.”

Lucy’ “haul” videos sit alongside countless others across social media, with users going feral over Shein, Asos, Zara, and Primark deliveries. They’re compelling to watch, as content creators effervesce with the thrill of tearing open parcels and narrating the tactility and fit of what’ within, But, as the packages pile up in the influencers’ bedrooms, how do these seemingly innocent videos impact our psyche? Are they just feeding an endless cycle of want, want, want? Today, UK consumers are collectively spending more than £3 billion (around ₹337 crores) a month on impulse purchases. What happens when our “little treats” become something much bigger and harder to control? Will we ever be truly satisfied?

CONSTANT EXPOSURE