Collections can be a super enjoyable way to spend fun money. I personally have had the stupidest collection to date — Christmas gnomes. However, it’s hard to tell where the line starts to blur from being a collection to being just straight consumerism.
Let’s start off with one of the trends that has completely rocked the internet: Jellycats. I love Jellycats as much as the next person. I have the tiger one because of Mizzou, the acorn one for fall and the white bunny from a Secret Santa. Would I buy more if I won the lottery? 100%. But at the end of the day, they’re overpriced stuffed animals. When I scroll on TikTok and see people with dozens and dozens of these toys, I wonder where we lost the plot.
Now, I’m not here to judge people for collecting popular items. I have been a victim of both Stanleys and Hydro Flasks — I’m team Stanley. Still, I think there is something to be said for collections turning into overconsumption. One example of this that blew up social media was the Starbucks bear cup. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Starbucks released a bear-shaped cup in January, and each store received very few in shipment. My TikTok “For You Page” was full of influencers waiting in line outside of Starbucks starting at 2 a.m.
I understand the love of teddy bears, but nothing screams microtrend and consumerism more than waiting over five hours in line or paying hundreds of dollars for a resold cup. Similarly, the water bottle trend seems a bit excessive.
Reusable water bottles have two key features — they’re reusable, and you only need one every few years. Having both a summer and winter color is one thing, but having a gradient of Owalas in your kitchen is another.
Though Jellycats and water bottles might be superfluous things to collect, collections are still super fun to have. Here is what I propose: collect at thrift stores.
This might not work for every kind of collection — good luck finding a Stanley at Goodwill — but most collectable items can be found cheaper and more sustainably at thrift stores. Jewelry, books, CDs, vinyls, figurines, prints and tons of other collections can be started and supported through secondhand shopping.
There are all sorts of cool and trendy items to begin a collection with, and there is nothing wrong with being on trend! However, thrifted collections are a fun and sustainable way to shop without feeding into the common consumerism on social media.