Band 7+: In the past, shopping was a routine domestic task. Many people nowadays regard it as a hobby. To what extent do you think this is a positive trend? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge.

Shopping today has seriously transformed its function in comparison to previous decades. People used to think that purchasing products were only needed for routine tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, or in rare cases dressing formally. However, modern society regards it as more of a leisure-time activity rather than a domestic chore. In this essay, I am going to elaborate on the given topic and show my disapproval of the trend.

To begin with, we cannot neglect the addictive nature of habitual buying of unnecessary products. Even though some people still believe that shopping is not more than a chore, there are those who are addicted to purchasing useless items. For example, recently conducted research shows that individuals with mental trauma are more likely to have an addiction to substances, alcohol, hazard ,or ,in some cases, shopping. This demonstrates to us the negative side of buying for “pleasure” which may lead to going bankrupt because it is too expensive to have this type of hobby.

Another thing to consider is a waste of money. If we leave addiction aside, an even bigger disadvantage of acquiring new items is the fact that an individual’s income is wasted on worthless objects, rather than on a noble cause. A major part of the humans who go on a shopping spree regret a large number of the purchases in the next 24 hours. As a result, those items are never used by the individuals and prove to us that the hobby of buying impractical products is not worth it. Nevertheless, shopping maniacs can invest in charities and by doing this the money can be used for a good cause. For instance, social problems such as starvation, homelessness, and poverty can benefit from those finances. Therefore, instead of spending excessive money over stupid things, societ may help those who need it.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that nowadays shopping has many negative trends, such as addiction and wasting money. In order to change this habit, we need to start helping other individuals and invest our finances in a noble cause rather than in acquiring something we are certain to regret.