Shopping inspires all sorts of ethical questions for me. For example, is there a special place in hell for people who spend $425 on a lace t-shirt in a world where they could use that money to feed a hungry family for a month? And if so, am I going there too for spending $65 on a jacket? There’s a line between conspicuous consumption and possessing nice things. I walk it uneasily. I would love to hear how others weigh these choices.
Sermons in Stones 
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June 11, 2014 at 9:49 am
Andrew Hidas
Amy, I have long had a blog post in mind with the working title, “We Are All Guilty.” We walk fine lines indeed, but nobody—at least in the developed world—can do so without wobbling & teetering like mad, and then doing our best to carry on, more than a tad uneasily…
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June 11, 2014 at 11:21 am
Karen
Ah, shopping–I hate to shop for clothes! And I hate to support stores and manufacturers who mistreat their workers. So what do I do?
Mostly, I hardly ever buy new clothes. I have in my closet and drawers many items so old I can’t remember when I bought them. I also have a few items passed on by my Mom years ago when she gained a bit of weight.
Mostly I wear jeans and T-shirts. Almost all of my T-shirts are from non-profit organizations I support, including the annual T-shirts from UU Family camp in Mendocino.
When I have to buy something new, I order from companies with high ratings in the “compassionate consumption” booklet put out by UUSC, if I can find what I need. ( Patagonia is one of the few companies that have gotten an “A” rating.) I buy things like jeans and slacks from LL Bean, which at least got a “C” on the rating scale. I also buy outdoor items at our conveniently located REI store, a consumer cooperative.
But the most problematic part is where do I buy “nice” clothes? Fortunately, I don’t need to dress up very often. Occasionally, I have found something nice at a thrift store. I have bought several nice blouses and a dress in El Salvador at shops that sell articles made by co-ops or individual artisans.
I tend to wear the same few dresses for years. For example, once I bought an inexpensive summer dress at Ross–I don’t know how they treat their workers, but I like buying nice stuff cheap. And that dress has been my main “hot weather nice dress” for years. When I needed something for a wedding where the weather would be hot, I dressed it up by wearing an inexpensive gardening hat which my daughter transformed into a great hat by adding ribbon and artificial roses that exactly match the roses on the dress. I frequently get admiring comments on that outfit. ( I admit to feeling smug when that happens). If I know the person well, I tell them how I combined inexpensive items to make an awesome outfit. .
But mostly, I hardly ever buy new clothes, unless really necessary, such as underwear, or a different size.
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June 11, 2014 at 1:24 pm
Lynn Ungar
It’s a really important question without a right answer. Most of my clothes come from the thrift store, because I just don’t care that much about clothes, and work from home so rarely have to look professional. But I do have expensive dogs, and there are many, many people who would criticize me bitterly for that. My provisional conclusion is an ethical stance that people should only buy things they really need or that will really make them happy. While this seems like a low bar, I think lots of people spend lots of money on things that make them happy for only the briefest of periods. Turns out this is well-researched, and people are much more likely to be made happy by giving money away than by spending it.
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June 11, 2014 at 2:09 pm
Amy Zucker Morgenstern
Andrew, I would love to read that post, if you write it. “Guilty” is a strong word, “complicit” perhaps a little less so, and a notch down from judgment is “interconnected.” The fact is, the ways we spend our money do affect other people. I don’t want to wallow in guilt, but just to stay aware enough to push for changes. It’s such a great thing when the things you need/want to buy anyway can also help bend the arc of the universe toward justice, and to look things up on Free2Work (which rates consumer goods based on whether there’s slavery in the supply chain or support organic agriculture, we need to know that slavery and pesticides exist.
Lynn and Karen, I like thrift-store shopping too, or Buffalo Exchange, which is not a charity organization like Out of the Closet (in fact it’s a chain that has stores in many states), but it seems to have good labor practices, and its buying and trading are done locally. I love reusing instead of landfilling, and the issues such as exploitation and outright slavery in the manufacturing process are greatly reduced by buying secondhand. I’ve gotten plenty of professional clothes secondhand.
After many years when it seemed that the only fair-trade items were ethnic clothing or tschotchkes. Those are nice, but sometimes you need undies or jeans or a plain white blouse that’s good for Sunday. Now there are some sources for those kinds of things.
So I don’t shop often, and enjoy it only in small doses (I was so tired on Monday, a very relaxed day, and I swear it was the 90 minutes in Macy’s that did me in). But sometimes I have something specific in mind, like “I could really use a couple of short-sleeved blouses that look good under a jacket or without it–wonder who has those nice lined stretch lace t-shirts?” and the wide world of untrammeled internet shopping (or Macy’s) beckons.
Karen, I know that outfit, and it looks great on you. You made me laugh with the comment about feeling smug. That’s how I feel when I get a compliment on an outfit I just put together from three items from the thrift store, total price $50 . . .
Lynn, I think you are right–it’s not such a low bar once we really reflect on what makes us happy. And it’s good to remember that we each have our little luxuries and it’s all too easy to judge others. I have no interest in ever spending money on a pet–but I have things I do care to spend money on that don’t interest you. (I spend plenty on their food and vet bills, of course, but not on the animal itself or the training, because I have cats and they train me.) I was just reading about how nail salons have boomed in the recession. Apparently that’s a small luxury that lots of people value and that is affordable, unlike the vacations they can no longer manage or the new car they’d like to have bought by now. I have no desire for a mani-pedi, but why scoff at someone else’s chosen treat?
I’ll keep looking askance at the person who buys the $400 Nina Ricci top, though. 😉
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June 11, 2014 at 2:41 pm
Kathleen McGregor
This is something I’ve been struggling with for some time. At least in this century. I even bought _The Overloaded Liberal_ at GA one year. Every purchase is fraught with one issue or another. Fair trade vs. regular. Is the company environmentally conscious? Does the company have fair labor practices? Are employees paid a living wage? Is it made here in the US? I’d think about whether I was boycotting the company or not, too. So, I made some decisions about how I would go about shopping.
I decided that my clothes should be used. At one point when I had more money, it was only the sale racks. When a classmate declared her shopping would only be at thrift stores, I thought long and hard about it. She, of course, is thin and could wear anything. I am not, so I decided to buy clothes from a certain brand that has an ethos that I agree with, both environmental and labor practices. Underwear and socks are new for obvious reasons. This does not mean I have not bought new clothes, I have. Fully more than 4 out of 5 are used, though. Although I cannot have that confidence in shoe companies, I buy very lightly used shoes, as well.
I also find that I do not have a good reference for what a good price is. $65 for a coat seems reasonable. Where I struggle is with the fact that prices have gone up, but wages have not increased significantly. What about if you are spending more than 30% on housing? Will you allow yourself to splurge on occasion? Is there a limit on the splurge? $400 for a top seems excessive, but if your income is such that $400 is not a dent in the budget, then it is up to the person earning the money. Sometimes one needs to look put together only in a way that a large purchase can help, such as for a high power job.
I find it is easier not to go to websites, look at catalogs, and window shop where I can’t afford it lest I see something I “just can’t live without.” I’m in a place now where I only have my clothes, kitchen goods(very nice from another lifetime), my electronics, laptop, ipad and iphone, and my bicycle (very nice due to chronic pain). There are a few odds and ends, but being forced to simplify to that extent put stuff in perspective. If I do see something pricey that I’d want, to eBay I go. I’d like to keep only things that are beautiful and useful, after they’ve passed my other litmus tests.
I worked in a fine pen store for a time before grad school. My wonderful friend, who had been a professor and was biding time for a similar job said that she couldn’t see buying a pen for $300 or $1000 since the money could go to the poor.
I’ve had this thought lately. If I could afford to spend that much money on an unnecessary item, whatever it is, I’d make sure I could afford double. Then I would give and equal amount to the local homeless shelter or food bank.
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June 11, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Kathleen McGregor
Oh, oops. So my clothes and shoes come from eBay because it’s easier to find my size.
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June 11, 2014 at 3:58 pm
irrevspeckay
I appreciate so many people chiming in on this question. I do have a commitment to reused clothing — I used to reach a 75% rating (on average, 75% of what I was wearing was bought or received second hand) but since I have joined the ministerial formation stream, I have felt the pressure to up my clothing quality (which has been exacerbated by hospital-based chaplaincy this summer). So my rating has declined. I used to get used furniture, but I am finding myself less inclined with age, though tag sales are still a great source of many things. But I went on a vacation to Europe last summer and that was quite conspicuous in my consumption, even if I could explain all the really good reasons for the trip.
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June 17, 2014 at 4:31 pm
scszucker@att.net
There is greatergood.com (Hunger site, Breast Cancer site, Literacy site, etc.) for some nice clothing. There is also a shop in Burbank which is owned and operated by a FIDM grad who designs and has fabric made and then makes clothing which sells for $20 and under. At her sale she charged $10 and under. It is called Out of the Box and I do not know whether she sells on line…
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