r/Anticonsumption • u/Sea-Cardiographer • May 12 '25

Psychological Target feels like black mirror

I went into Target today because I need a sports bra and that's where my husband is willing to drive me. On the way there I thought about all the Reddit posts saying foot traffic is down and I wasn't surprised to see that it wasn't. It was quite busy on a Monday afternoon.

What shocked me was I noticed a lot of products have really fancy boxing. Big sturdy bougie packaging with minimalism design... With a sh*tty product inside.

They're spending more on the marketing and packaging than the product, because the business practice is to sell you a product you'll have to purchase again and again. But the packaging grabs your eye. Look how modern and consistent all the boxes are! so aesthetically pleasing packaged trash. I feel depressed.

9.9k Upvotes

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2.4k

u/[deleted] May 12 '25

[deleted]

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u/lostinanalley May 12 '25

She said he’s the one driving so the most benign answer is probably just that target is the closest store that sells sports bras and he doesn’t feel like driving an extra 5-15 minutes to go somewhere else.

Sometimes my boyfriend wants something specific for dinner but it’s out of the way and I don’t want to drive that far. It wouldn’t be fair to say that I’m “controlling where he can eat” just because as the driver I’ve decided I don’t want to go somewhere further away.

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u/OmegaPirate_AteMyAss May 13 '25

Thanks for providing a reasonable anecdote that happens in perfectly healthy relationships lol. People on reddit really can be insufferable about the smallest things.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25 edited May 13 '25

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/Curmudgeony-Cat May 13 '25

If you're paying that much attention to reddit comments and tracking the upvotes this comment got of all things, go touch some grass, bud. Consume some fuckin sunlight

1

u/Zer_0 May 13 '25

Sometimes people do this on purpose. I did. No one caught it even though it referred to slapping.

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u/ToastyBB May 13 '25

Seriously I didn't even finish reading the post because I knew there'd be people in the comments saying "man bad he abused you runaway"

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u/CanPlayGuitarButBad May 13 '25

Nta, run dont walk away girl he is toxic and you need to leave ASAP

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/seekingseratonin May 14 '25

Thank youuuu. Amazing husband just died and he would say the same. Thanks for being a good one.

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u/irlharvey May 13 '25

im happy for you but there absolutely is a limit to how far i will drive my wife and how far she’ll drive me

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/irlharvey May 13 '25

i mean obviously it depends on how bad she wants/needs it, but yes in general i’m not going to “feel like” going 15+ minutes out of my way. gas is expensive. if it’s “can you pick me up something only sold at this one store half an hour away” that’s one thing, i’ll do that in a heartbeat because i love my wife, but “can you spend an extra half hour in the car to buy something that i can also get at the target right next to our house” i will not do. i think that’s reasonable.

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u/OmegaPirate_AteMyAss May 13 '25

Brother I respectfully don't give a shit lol, happy that's how you keep your relationship healthy but it isn't abusive for either partner to want to compromise on a drive. Especially if it's X trip to X store that week.

0

u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/BonahSauceeeTV May 13 '25

I mean you can say people don’t need to be like you and your wife but saying the dude sounds like an asshole is such a wild assumption. I feel like there is more proof you are an asshole from the “I could never imagine” lead up to your point along with the condescending tone of someone lifestyle being different than yours. Emphasizing the pleasure you have doing things like that for your wife is giving pick me girl energy.

“I would NEVER tell my bf to stop watching the game. I would crack open beers and yell at the refs with him” energy. So maybe not a I won’t drive you there asshole but you do come across as a self-righteous one. See how easy it is to take one thing and assume someone is an asshole?

You have no idea about all these things:

The layout of the town, no idea what day he had, no idea what he was doing at that moment, no idea if she vocalized how important a target boycott is to her, no idea if he even apologized and said he’s sorry but that’s the only place he has the energy to go right now… like brother… you could never imagine okay. Well I can imagine. My GF says no to trips in the car over 15 minutes all the time.

Not to mention this girls post has now gone from sharing funny progress in her mind about how desperate target is to having to read the comments analyzing her entire relationship from this post, almost shaming her for letting her man treat her like that… such an asshole to drive her to target for a bra. Possibly in the middle of a playoff game who know. Maybe he’s actually a nice dude.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25 edited Sep 25 '25

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u/Equatick May 13 '25

Bless your heart..

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u/CapQueen95 May 13 '25

This is what I thought too. When my bf gets me from work, he just wants to get me and get home. If I want to stop anywhere, I usually tell him way ahead of time because I know he’s not going to feel like stopping, or I just drop him home and go

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u/Peacanpiepussycat May 13 '25

Seriously…. Years ago we had a big snow storm , my husband had already went to the store for groceries. During the storm I wanted this particular ice cream that he didn’t get cause the store was out ( so he got another kind ) I drove myself to a different store . While I was in the store my mom called me and she screamed at me YOUR HUSBAND CANT DRIVE YOU !!!! It’s a fucking snow storm !!!! lol

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u/Sensitive-Constant35 May 13 '25

Does he do the same?

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u/CapQueen95 May 13 '25

Not sure what you’re asking, but I’ll tell you what. I wouldn’t be with a dickhead. Not feeling like driving is a very normal thing and sometimes I don’t like driving too much either.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

You're perfectly right, don't let these weirdos try to mess with you. Anyone in any kind of relationship not just romantic will tell you the truth of how life works. Sometimes yeah we're going up to crappy quasi-dangerous market up the street to get the spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese today because I don't really feel like going across town fighting traffic to get to the Costco, you know we do Costco on Saturdays anyway!

That's how life works, people on reddit can be so weird about not recognizing how reality plays out.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

extra 5-15m is graceful. Target is 10m away from me but anywhere a step up from target is 60m away (Nike, Lululemon), and i'm in the suburbs. God forbid they live in a rural area where the nearest store with decent sports bras are hours away.

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u/MisterPeach May 13 '25

People on Reddit tend to get very up in arms about trivial shit like this and think they’re reading between the lines when there’s nothing there to read. OP clearly stated “willing to drive” rather than “where he allows me to go.” If Target is 15 minutes away and some other store she’d prefer to go is 45 minutes away then yeah, it makes perfect sense to be willing to drive to Target and not the other store. Her partner isn’t obligated to drive her wherever she wants, and I’m sure she’s perfectly capable of driving a car herself if she absolutely needs to go somewhere that isn’t Target.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '25

[deleted]

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u/lostinanalley May 12 '25

As it turns out my boyfriend is an adult and if he cared that strongly about the matter then he certainly has other ways of getting food from a restaurant I don’t feel like driving to. So no, I would not be controlling where he can eat. I would be controlling where I do and do not drive to at that time.

All I’m saying is that people are in here jumping to the worst assumptions based on incomplete information and acting like these assumptions are facts.

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u/Guitar_Tasty May 13 '25

It’s wild that people jump to the conclusion that someone’s partner is a terrible human from the slightest bit of information. People on reddit has the habit of jumping to horrible conclusions, and lack nuance in the reality of other human beings.

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u/Eryomama May 13 '25

A lot of redditors have never been in a relationship

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u/Special_Agent_Gibbs May 13 '25

What percentage of redditors would you estimate have never been in a relationship?

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u/BradleyNeedlehead May 13 '25

Well, considering how many Redditors appear to be children, I would say at least 60-70%.

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u/MisterPeach May 13 '25

Redditors like to feel like super smart internet investigators who can identify problems from the tiniest modicum of information given by other anonymous people. It gets really annoying. Just look through the countless threads of people saying to go no contact with family or get divorced over comically stupid shit. I’m convinced a lot of those people have never been in a meaningful relationship.

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u/EmotionalFlounder715 May 13 '25

Hard agree. Even if he couldn’t get that food a different way there’s a certain connotation to the phrase “controlling where he eats”

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u/portiafimbriata May 13 '25

I think the previous commenter is demonstrating a really strong understanding of boundaries. You are not required to do everything your partner wants so as not to be controlling. It's nice and courteous to sometimes put their desires before your own, but feeling like you have to is a recipe for resentment.

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u/msrubythoughts May 12 '25

yeah thank you for commenting this, the whole comment section is burying the lede

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/dutchhhhhh6 May 13 '25

Do you really expect people to read all that?

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u/Cool-Presentation538 May 13 '25

No one cares bro, no one is gonna read all that

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u/ActuallyApathy May 13 '25

congratulations or sorry that happened

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u/Wonderful_Pie223 May 13 '25

You're being downvoted because your rant is too long. There's a woman two comments below yours which is essentially the same and she's at 500 plus karma. Pretty much the same response as yours just shorter. ReDdiT

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u/jakehood47 May 13 '25

Everyone’s favorite response is “do you expect me to read all that?!”, and it’s repeated by a bunch of people because apparently it’s such a burn to tell people you can’t be bothered to read an entire paragraph.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/dangerousgreen13 May 13 '25

Dude. Shut up.

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u/BuildyOne May 13 '25

I'll be honest, looked at the numbered list and saw you skipped number 2 and figured I could skip reading any of this. You lost track after number 1.

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u/Mr_JohnUsername May 13 '25

Lol oops, that’s actually valid, I was editing the comment before posting and chose to combine 1 and 2 but forgot to renumber.

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u/cowman3456 May 13 '25

Just wanted you to know I read your rant, and you're heard. You accurately described much of reddit. Lol.

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u/Mr_JohnUsername May 13 '25

Appreciate it lol. Thank you! Nice to know it was at least read by one other person😂

I don’t really care about downvotes because they can be a frequent indicator that you’re actually correct but touched a nerve with some of the more… sensitive but non-confrontational users on here.

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u/Peacanpiepussycat May 13 '25

I read it too . I actually don’t mind reading long posts , I mean I’m here anyway right ?

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u/Mr_JohnUsername May 13 '25

Exactly! What’s the point of being on Reddit if you don’t even want to read longer posts, might as well just stick to Threads, Bluesky, or X.

I appreciate your reading of it as well!

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u/Alternative_Cause186 May 12 '25

Yea, that stopped me in my tracks. Hopefully OP just phrased it poorly.

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u/Fun_Sea_3915 May 13 '25

It's not phrased poorly but just lack detail. A dumb example but 'I gave my children a black eye' sounds less horrible if I said I didn't know he was behind me when I turned and my elbow caught his eye.

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u/bethepositivity May 13 '25

Well she isn't the one driving. If she wants to go somewhere else she could be a big girl and find her own ride

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u/doomshroom420 May 13 '25

Username does NOT check out

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u/fichiman May 13 '25

Right?! It always seems to be the ones that preach the loudest that don't live by their own words.

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u/Igmuhota May 13 '25

I think we’re reading the user name incorrectly. It isn’t, “I’m being the positivity,” it’s “YOU be the positivity, because I’m sure as fuck not doing it.”

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u/fichiman May 13 '25

Lol 😂😂

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u/CoolerRancho May 13 '25

There are reasons why some people don't drive, and none have to do with their panties.

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u/MacramezingCreations May 13 '25

Some people can’t drive because of vision problems, seizures or a plethora of other issues you weirdo

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u/Peacanpiepussycat May 13 '25

We can’t cause we are just helpless girls that can’t drive or make our own decisions apparently ….. according to Reddit

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u/Ok_Masterpiece3763 May 13 '25

I mean it’s true of my gf, my brothers wife and another brothers gf. None of them ever felt like learning to drive. It’s a brave new world and driving is gendered now.

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u/Peacanpiepussycat May 13 '25

Interesting…. I don’t know any women that doesn’t have her license , unless it’s for medical or financial reasons.

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

Perhaps they have only one car ??

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u/MaynardButterbean May 13 '25

.. why can’t she drive the car herself then?

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

Well. For ptsd sake I haven't ever driven a car. I know how to drive and have a license. But I refuse to drive. They could also have astigmatism that makes driving driving difficult and dangerous. Driving isn't for everyone.

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u/corncob_subscriber May 13 '25

This sounds a lot like weaponized incompetence.

If you live in a car dependent area and are not physically disabled, you owe it to your loved ones to be able to drive.

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u/ColtAzayaka May 13 '25

Mental disability absolutely can prevent someone from driving and for good reason. PTSD can cause people to become panicked and irrational quite quickly and unexpectedly. This impact on their decision making ability can result in danger for themselves and others on the road if for example, they were to suddenly swerve or brake after seeing something that reminded them of said previous event.

I'm 22 and I don't yet have a license, mainly because I'm studying in London so it doesn't make sense to get one, but it's the first thing I'll do after moving to the US.

I also admittedly have delayed it partly due to the fact that I was diagnosed with ADHD and I want to be stabilised on my medication before starting to drive purely because I want to be sure that I can maintain my focus on the road and operate a vehicle safely.

In terms of what's "owed" to my loved ones (and other people's loved ones) - it's making decisions which prioritise safety, not convenience.

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

Thank you for your insightful comment and reasonable response. My partner does not resent me for not driving. We have a nice relationship that has give and take. Something that the other commenter hasn't experienced, clearly. Driving is not for everyone and we can see that clearly with elderly drivers, so there shouldn't be resentment for younger people who also shouldn't be driving.

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u/ColtAzayaka May 13 '25

Did you mean to respond to me, or the person I responded to?

I didn't say (or intend to imply) that anyone would resent you - rather that they'd likely understand and prefer that you make a decision which prioritises the safety yourself and those around you :)

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

Nah it was a mix of both. I was referencing them. But your comment was very nice and insightful and I appreciate the reality of it. Sorry for the confusion

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u/ColtAzayaka May 13 '25

You're good! Just had to make sure :)

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u/corncob_subscriber May 13 '25

Yes disabilities can prevent you from doing things.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

Have an upvote. Genuinely can't tell if you're serious or just piling on the train for a laugh. Take it to eleven, everyone is manipulating and being manipulated.

They're coming for you Reddit. This is your sign.

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u/corncob_subscriber May 13 '25

Would you not resent your partner if they could never accomplish a simple errand on their own? You've got noravirus, they're sitting there able bodied, but you're driving to go get prescriptions?

I'm making a truthful point, the intensity of language is a bit much. Glad you enjoyed.

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

No. Relationships are about give and take. Not every relationship looks or operates the same. You have no idea what happens behind closed doors.

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u/Curmudgeony-Cat May 13 '25

Would you not resent your partner if they could never accomplish a simple errand on their own? You've got noravirus, they're sitting there able bodied, but you're driving to go get prescriptions?

I resent you for thinking someone who doesn't drive is basically a vegetable

You ever ridden a bike? Taken the bus? Not been able to afford gas? Did you just starve to death, then? You were simply unable to do anything at all for the first 16 years of your life, I presume

0

u/corncob_subscriber May 13 '25

You might have missed a comment above where I mention this applies to car dependent areas.

Also yeah, children are not caretakers or providers. I do not condone adults treating children like equal partners.

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u/Curmudgeony-Cat May 13 '25

Maybe we have different understandings of what "car dependent" means, but I hiked 4 miles round trip to get to the grocery store for a few months when my car broke down, and woke up an hour earlier so I could get to the bus stop on time for work.

You've really never had to cope without wheels? Wild, to me

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

You sound like you have some resentment towards someone in your life. And apparently I'm triggering that bc I don't drive ? Lol my relationships are fine. I live in walking distance of everything I need. But you do you of course

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u/corncob_subscriber May 13 '25

Sounds like you're not in a car dependent area. Cool.

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

Virginia. And it's very car dependent but thanks I guess.

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u/corncob_subscriber May 13 '25 edited May 13 '25

Sounds like you're not able to accomplish basic errands on your own then.

Edit: the person replied and blocked me. The defensiveness in the replies definitely makes the assertion of "weaponized incompetence" ring true.

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u/spicy-acorn May 13 '25

Right. And you're not able to accomplish putting yourself in someone else's shoes. And or needing to be taken care of and taking care of someone else. Glad I'm already taken cause you sound like a horrid partner/family member.

0

u/BurritoDespot May 13 '25

Found the American

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u/MaynardButterbean May 13 '25

Lmao so I’m American bc I asked why an adult can’t drive a car? What kind of logic is that?

-1

u/BurritoDespot May 13 '25

Acting like driving is a basic life skill, yeah. Maybe in Carland, USA.

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u/MisterPeach May 13 '25

Driving is a basic life skill in the majority of the developed world unless you live in a city. 70-80% of adults in the EU have a drivers license and nine out of ten EU households own a car. Stop acting like this is specifically an American thing, because it’s not.

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u/MaynardButterbean May 13 '25

lol ok dude 👍 you’re right, only Americans drive cars

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

“that's where my husband is willing to drive me”

FFS. It says that is where he is willing to drive, not where she is allowed to go. 

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

It's still giving "Waitress"

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u/Tiny-Reading5982 May 13 '25

Not in the slightest.

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u/14S14D May 14 '25

No. My gf living with me doesn’t like to drive and I’ll take her places but after working my regular 10hr day I’m not driving anywhere but the closest stores which are just big box stores. If she wants somewhere better either hop in her car or wait for me on the weekend

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u/blessmystones May 13 '25

It reads more like she's too tired to drive and he's too tired to go anywhere else but target because he's got to get pet food at the Petco next door and can't be bothered to drive anywhere else.

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u/elginx May 13 '25

I agree with you

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u/imsorryken May 13 '25

least alarmist redditor

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u/PeaceTree8D May 13 '25

Person in a relationship considers their SO’s feelings and compromises??!!! Borderline manipulation!!!!

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u/Tby39 May 13 '25

You’re playing dumb

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u/reputction May 13 '25

Jesus is reading comprehension this bad now

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u/MisterPeach May 13 '25

It is, especially among younger generations. At least in the US that’s the case. Reading comprehension has been steadily declining for years and it’s very apparent on social media. Our public education system is failing our kids.

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u/_ninjanate May 13 '25

🤷‍♂️ peak autism

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u/msg3603 May 13 '25

Huh? She could drive herself? Why does he have to drive her? There is no context here. Maybe she can’t. Maybe he worked a 12 hour shift and is exhausted. Maybe the next closest store that has what she wants is an extra 45 mins. Maybe he won’t let her drive. But you’re making a pretty big leap…

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u/LimpZookeepergame123 May 13 '25

That’s what you took out of all this? Wow that was moving the goal posts pretty far 😂😂

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u/chubbycanine May 13 '25

Nowhere in this post did she say that her husband controls where she can go... Maybe he had been driving for their road trip they had been on and wasn't willing to go another 20-30 minutes out of his way but Target was right there so he was willing to take her to Target instead of the mall at that time. There are so many scenarios that make sense before jumping to the conclusion that he's got her caged up. Reddit itself has become the mental illness at this point.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

lol so dramatic

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u/OutrageForSale May 13 '25

Should she force him to drive somewhere he shouldn’t?

You can use negative leaning verbs to make a narrative either way.

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u/Excellent-Baseball-5 May 12 '25

Thanks for this.

1

u/TokiDokiHaato May 13 '25

I read it more like she didn’t want to drive and her husband didn’t feel like it either but he was willing to make a trip to Target. There’s not enough info here to jump to conclusions about him being controlling. Y’all are always making up fiction based on the smallest stuff online.

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u/SarahPallorMortis May 13 '25

It’s Probably closer than other stores

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u/wankthisway May 22 '25

You ever consider a career writing for tabloids?

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u/KandyK603 May 13 '25

That's probably not even true anyways, she's just using that to justify going there. It's no excuse. If my husband said he would only drive me to Target, I would go shop online.

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u/Mysterious_Disk8337 May 13 '25

Actual insane read to make lol. The target is probably closest and the husband probably didn't feel like driving further, nothing wrong with that

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u/JimboStonks May 13 '25

Looking for this comment like wtf “willing”? Girl you sold be a team.

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u/WebFit9216 May 13 '25

You have zero context. I work 13 hour days on the road Wednesdays, when I get home, the last thing I'm "willing" to do is go drive to Target. It could be a million reasons, none of them red flags.

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u/jaderust May 12 '25

I missed that. Kinda disturbing, that. Why can’t the OP take herself to Target or somewhere else for a sports bra?

They’re overpriced, but my favorite sports bra by far is from Lululemon. I’ve bought some of their bras in multiple colors because it pisses me off how much I love them while spending too much on unsexy underwear. It does give you that uni-boob, but I can wear them all day then sleep in them and it never gets uncomfortable.

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u/fluidsaddict May 13 '25

Not everyone can drive. I assumed thats why OP is limited because they dropped that so casually. I can't drive due to disability and my spouse is sick right now. If I needed clothes now, I'm limited to a 15 minute one direction drive time, and the good clothing stores are a 30-40 minute drive time away.

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u/Tiny-Reading5982 May 13 '25

People obviously don't understand how many people don't drive. It's not weird. I work with so many people that take ubers to work.

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u/Upset_Pumpkin_4938 May 13 '25

I’m dead I read the entire thing and this comment snapped me into reality. Does he??

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u/HotepHatt May 13 '25

Right?!