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A small business I follow was sharing their struggles online about low sales and I thought - I totally get it and I would love to support you but how many more kitschy printed t shirts and sweatshirts do we all need where the shopping experience only includes browsing online?? If I am going to buy something unnecessary I want to take my mom, go to lunch, browse a one off boutique and impulse buy something there, where I can touch and pick the shirt with the best vintage feel and I can see the colors in real life.

Love this piece a lot

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This is SO true and such a good reminder! As social beings, we see everything online that others have and believe we need it for ourselves. I am trying my best to purchase things in person because I like it, not because I saw it online. I am trying to minimize my consumption because I probably don't need that jacket. And it creates memories! I will always fondly remember going to the mall with my mom.

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Speaking as a former ebay addict (a perfect size 37 shoes and size 12 in clothing) there is also much more satisfaction in discovering the real thing in real life and taking it home than waiting days or weeks, forgetting you ever ordered that thing, and then the anti-climax of its arrival and absent-mindedly stuffing it into the wardrobe.

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Also the Austin trip worked! I now know there's a hotel chain in Austin where I can grill my burger in my room.

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Thrilled for you and your new mattress Laurel! My parents ironically had the exact same order-mattress-online-hated-it-went-shopping-irl-and-learnt-much-more-and-gained-a-better-mattress-experience!

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Hopefully it did not take nearly 8 years to learn this lesson! (in my defense! the first mattress was free and it's hard to beat free)

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I agree, obviously! I really feel like going 5 years without using Amazon to buy things was great for forcing me to consider whether I actually needed something. Barriers to purchase are good in this day and age

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instead of "buy it now" amazon should have a mandatory field where you have to write a sentence explaining why you're ordering it, to then be reviewed (job creation!)

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