What does our shopping pattern say about us?

In college, I took a course on consumer patterns. People with PHDs have applied their nimble brains to figuring out how, what, and why we buy. They've mostly answered the first two questions, but no one knows exactly why we buy all the stuff we buy.

As for the "how" of shopping, we all know from experience that there are people who shop for the object and people who shop for the experience.

But among those who like to shop, there are three sub-categories:

Group 1: People who like to shop in tidy, linear places (think Gap)

Group 2: People who like the "treasure hunt" of thrift shopping

Group 3: People who are forced to shop thriftily but would rather not

Let's assume that most Kashless users fall into group 2. Don't deny it - I've seen the server logs. I know that you don't use the search function. You're browsing through page after page of listings looking for something cool.

One of the UK's top resale shops, Oxfam, tried to organize its jumble of used goodies into the linear layout used in first-run shops like Gap or Macy's. They found that everyone hated it and stopped shopping there. Those of us in Group 2 don't want you to hand us anything. We want to find it. We're looking for a little bit of ourselves, lost in the confusing listings or the bizarrely organized piles.

So now we know how we buy. We also know what we're buying - unique, used, secondhand items that have some history.

Is this also why we buy? Are we shopping around for a little bit of identity? Are we thrifting out way to a clearer sense of self?

I think so. My secondhand, thrift-store things say a lot more about me than my department store purchases. This is what good thrifting is all about: being yourself, being sustainable, and having fun.