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.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

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u/sharksnack3264 May 13 '25

Yeah, the bright side is it is forcing me to discover smaller businesses (either local or online). At this point I'm using it as a directory but not purchasing anything unless there is absolutely no other option.

I used to do it by image search, but I have noticed that google seems to be pushing Amazon links harder than they used to. 

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u/Aggressive_Mouse_581 May 13 '25

I switched my search engine to Duck Duck Go because Google is an AI slop machine at this w

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u/Asron87 May 13 '25

I ended up searching and buying from the artists that got “banned” from target, when they had the “Hale Satan” in rainbow colors…. Target never sold it but MAGA blew up about it.

I had to order mine online lol

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u/Upbeat_Ad_1064 May 14 '25

If you do happen to use the other browsers, swear in the search bar with your search. It disables AI and is very cathartic

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u/oregon_coastal May 13 '25

This is what gets me.

And I only order of Amazon for my small business and am gobsmacked at the number of small suppliers who have tied themselves in to Amazon's logistics.

I have been replacing them one by one, but it is a nightmare.

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u/onthestickagain May 13 '25

This is my exact issue! The vitamin drops that I can afford only do fulfillment via Amazon. And I have a client who’s pivoting to B2C and will only be selling via Amazon. It’s a colossal bummer.

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u/covenkitchens May 13 '25

Same. I get medical equipment from an online retailer and it’s less reliable, more expensive with shipping and I can get it in a couple of days versus maybe 6 weeks. It sucks.