Buy and Hold: "Shopping is Impossible"
"Shopping is Impossible", an August 2026 Harper's article by Rachel Sugar, discusses a situation I have noticed for at least a decade: the unsatisfying experience of shopping, especially for clothing and accessories. Too often it feels like eating a cheap chocolate bar: initially inviting, then rapidly distasteful. Sugar notes the usual suspects: almost infinite choice leading to decision fatigue; sameness in the selections; price increases that outstrip inflation. She mints a useful term for special ring of hell, what she calls " a little bit shopping ": "Shopping is visiting a store or website on purpose, examining the wares, and either buying or not buying them. A little bit shopping is the constant thrum of consumer opportunities that lead mostly to more consumer opportunities. It is looking at a pair of shoes, which leads to looking at another pair of shoes, and another, and then you’re $15 short of the minimum for free shipping and is there anything e...
