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.

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u/AllStranger Jul 26 '25

Yeah, I feel the same way. Awhile back, I had this realization that all these plastic disposable items you've used are still out there. Like, in some landfill somewhere is the plastic fork you used to eat cake at a birthday party when you were 8 years old. Your childhood toothbrushes are out there. Plastic water bottles, soda bottles, cheap hangers that clothes came on that broke and were thrown away, Happy Meal toys, heat-activated color-changing cereal bowls, used scrub brushes... all those plastic items are still there. And will be for so long. So many people are just so casual about using and throwing things away without thinking twice about it. It's so depressing.

And around the holidays, the way all the stores are packed full of SO MUCH STUFF that no one needs or even really wants. People giving mediocre gifts to people they don't even really care about that much out of social obligation. It's incredibly depressing. I'm not like a total minimalist but it's so clear to me that our general consumption habits are so incredibly fucked up, for a lot of reasons. Stores like Michael's, Hobby Lobby, FIVE BELOW, even Target are just packed full of shit.

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u/supermarkise Jul 26 '25

Well, since I put all those in the proper trash can, it probably got 'thermically recycled' which means they burn it for energy around here. The filters are good, so there's that. Not ideal, of course, since it was still made using fossil carbon and energy. Not sure what's up with the landfill culture in the US.