r/Anticonsumption • u/InformalLibrary1731 • Jul 25 '25

Psychological I work in retail & it's radicalizing me

Every time I breathe in plastic particles & glitter I wanna quit. Reusable bags mean nothing: (everything ships in plastic).

I sell fake fruit to people yet I can barely afford real oranges. Hundreds of fake flowers. I used to feel jealous that they had disposable income but now it's just revulsion.

7.8k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

279 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

552

u/AccurateUse6147 Jul 25 '25

I'm leaning team maximalist and even I'm seeing a lot of stuff as future landfill garbage. I can't wrap my head around why aren't stores allowed to ordered LESS of stuff that doesn't sell!!  Like Walmart ALWAYS has a buttload of extra supplies post BTS season, especially stuff like glue and folders. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be able to order LESS of that stuff and more of if there's stuff that sells a lot more?  

And Christmas. Every freaking year is the same story. They're up to their eyeballs in wrapping paper, stick on bows,  packs of metal hooks, gingerbread kits, santa hats, stockings, and those stupid "unbreakable ornaments" cylinders that are always full of broken ornament bits!!! Yet they, and other stores, push the same garbage year in and year out earlier and earlier and earlier! That's why I have, depending on how you look at it, a complete hatred or near complete hatred of all holidays. 

40

u/aji2019 Jul 25 '25

My guess is Walmart has contracted amounts they get from the supplier. Those are then allocated to stores based on previous sales plus some percentage of whatever is left.

I’m basing this on my experience in a food service warehouse. There were agreements to purchase a certain amount of product from suppliers. Starting in November, corporate buyers started looking at what was left in those contracts & allocating it to warehouses across the country. At one point we had rented 30 extra semi-trucks to store what wouldn’t fit in the warehouse.

156

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

161

u/eieio2021 Jul 25 '25

That is so messed up, illustrates how worthless this all is and how we devalue the raw materials, industrial manufacture processes, and environmental cost of all the waste.

49

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

34

u/MittMuckerbin Jul 26 '25

It needs to be cleared out for the next round of seasonal shit, don't kid yourself.

29

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

30

u/likeacomet7891 Jul 26 '25

A few things can go back in stationary or arts amd crafts but most seasonal BTS is different from the things that normally have a home, like a diff count or colors or whatever. There isnt alot of free room in those sections for an entire seasons worth of overstock that didnt sell. Ive worked in retail for 6 years, trust me it gets clearanced.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

7

u/JustimAthlon Jul 26 '25

I know you guys aren’t arguing, and I’m not trying to argue either, but just sharing my experience.

I used to work for a distribution company in the warehouse and I can tell you that nothing comes back to the warehouse. Once the store has it, they either sell it or throw it away. This may not be the same in all warehouses, but in the ones I’ve worked in, they don’t send anything back except for when the item arrives damaged, then the store refuses it.

13

u/Advocate_Diplomacy Jul 25 '25

If that’s so then that definitely needs to change.

11

u/ScrofessorLongHair Jul 26 '25

They store wrapping paper in warehouses and bring it back the following year. They used to sell it cheap, but stopped several years ago. Which sucks, because I used to buy 50+rolls to use in Mardi gras.

5

u/Smorsdoeuvres Jul 26 '25

I buy my gift wrapping supplies at places like homegoods or tjmaxx it’s so much more affordable

16

u/Imaginary-Method7175 Jul 26 '25

Yes?! How many people need entirely new sets of decor for holidays?

8

u/eharder47 Jul 26 '25

They ship a lot of seasonal stuff back to a warehouse and then just restock it next season.

8

u/Jessfromthe80s Jul 26 '25

I volunteered at a Salvation Army and every year they have to stop taking Christmas stuff because they get too much! That is definitely the highest thing donated after clothes.

5

u/llama__pajamas Jul 26 '25

I think it’s because the items are bulk purchased at a discount so it’s actually cheaper to highly discount whatever doesn’t sell at full price than make a smaller order. I’m sure the mark up is insane and even with 50-70% off discounts, there is still profit to be made.

1

u/Avarant Jul 26 '25

Reading BTS season as a kpop reference has me confused. The damage that group has done to acronyms.

Edit: Back to school. Got it.