Don’t you love sitting on your couch and scrolling through online stores? How much money have you spent on the internet in the last month without realising? Can't recall? 

Happens to the best of us.  

During the pandemic we saw a spike in the rise of online shopping, people were able to stay entertained while in lockdown by ordering items from the comfort of their homes. Online shopping has been around since the late 70s through television ecommerce but has gained more attraction in the last decade as the advance in this day and ages technology is truly remarkable. 

Online shopping benefits many people that may not have the time and ability to go out and buy items in person. It provides a sense of accessibility for those with disabilities that may have difficulties leaving their home. To be able to have whatever you may need at your doorstep within a matter of days allows people to focus on enjoying their everyday lives rather than having to worry about setting time aside for shopping. Online shopping has also evolved to allow for people to opt paying extra to receive “Next day delivery” and in some cases “Same day delivery”, this saves people who may need something last minute. 

Though this all sounds good, online shopping and next day delivery both in fact have their own drawbacks too. Next day delivery could potentially lead to people becoming compulsive shoppers, as it means they can have anything that may not even be a necessity. This can also lead to overspending because people may be more inclined to spend their money thoughtlessly. Online shopping has also led to people buying a lot of fast fashion clothing. These usually end up in land fill and can be harmful to the environment. Compulsive buyers tend to rack up many fast fashion clothes that go out of fashion very quickly, these end up being thrown away without a second thought to make space for newer trendier items. 

Compulsive online shopping can lead to many downsides. You can combat these by refraining from splurging online and instead consider alternatives such as charity shopping, car boot sales. But if you really can't seem to get away from the thrill of online shopping you can purchase from second hand websites such as Depop and Vinted. You can also consider reselling your own unwanted items to prevent them from wastefulness.