“A one stop shop.” This was the motto that Jeff Bezos sold to his employees when he launched Amazon. Companies and corporations at their cores are set up to sell products to consumers, and turn profits. However, when do we as people draw the line between overconsumption, and need-based consumption? And as consumers are we just as guilty of overconsumption, as the brands pushing us to a capitalistic limit? 

In the documentary “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy (2024),” director Flora Bagenal dissects the line between the consumer bystander effect and the corporations’ manipulative techniques in modern day marketing. She also speaks about the detriment that fast fashion has on the environment and the health and wellbeing of people across the world. The documentary is broken down into five major techniques employed by companies to encourage consumers to buy their product. 

One such technique is the philosophical advertising companies do to convince the average consumer to buy into overconsumption all on their own. According to the documentary, “It’s a story. If you create a story, you create a new buying opportunity.” Former Adidas president Eric Liedtke spoke about how companies will create stories to advertise products, making consumers feel as though they need to support the brand because of a commonality that they share with it. Take celebrity partnerships — if a brand uses a popular artist to sell products, they can turn more profit because of our idolization of the famous. For example, when Stephen Curry endorsed Under Armour, their partnership made an estimated $250 million in sales. 

The role of the fast fashion industry in overconsumption habits cannot be overstated. Not only do companies like Shein and Cider avoid ethically sourced materials, but they also encourage companies to find new ways to promote overconsumption. “These fast fashion companies force brands to produce newness every month. Someone has to keep up with trends,” said Rodger Lee, a major clothing manufacturer in China. He spoke about how companies like Gap produce roughly 12,000 new items of clothing a year. This number will continue to grow as consumers start to look for more deals and discounts. 

What really makes fast fashion companies dangerous is that because they can sell products at such cheap prices, other brands are incentivized to offer competitive deals or discounts. This phenomenon employs yet another manipulative sales tactic — the art of a deal. People tend to buy more when they think that they have pulled the wool over the eyes of “the man.” However, in reality, it is likely they have just played right into the hands of the man. 

Additionally, fast fashion brands depend on child and forced labor, unethically sourced materials, and they provide dangerous working environments. As recently as 2023, the company Shein was found to have an eleven year old working in a factory in China. The Chief Executive Officer Yinan Zhu stated, “We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that these isolated cases are removed from our supply chain entirely in future, bringing our network of third-party suppliers globally, including in China, Brazil and Turkey, along with us.” Zhu would not respond to how children were able to obtain access to working in these factories; however, she did publicly acknowledge Shein’s past of other child labor related instances. With fast fashion, the focus is the quantity in which clothes are produced, not quality, or well-being of employees. Since companies such as Shein are so focused on producing, they don’t always obtain employees of age is a problem. Forcing child labor in order to turn a profit is despicable and there are plenty of companies that engage in this harmful practice. 

In 2019, Jeff Bezos made a statement that Amazon would be joining the Paris Climate Accords Pledge.  Despite pledging to reduce his plastic imprint on the world, Bezos’ company is still one of the leading waste producing companies in the world. “Amazon continues to be criticized for excessive packaging. Many customers report receiving small items in oversized boxes filled with plastic packaging, which contradicts their ‘zero waste’ philosophy.” As stated in the documentary, this technique is called “Lie More,” where companies either lie or creatively get around telling the truth. 

In 1971, Coca-Cola used this technique when they released their “Coke on the Hill” commercial, which saw people of all different races and backgrounds drinking Coke together. By running this commercial at a politically charged time, when people across the world felt disconnected from each other, Coke showed their consumers that they were a people brand. What they neglected to tell consumers, is that although they say to recycle their bottles, most coke products until very recently weren’t 100% recyclable like they said on packaging. Chemical Engineer Jan Dell stated, “The truth is a vast majority of plastics are not recyclable. Companies push out this propaganda in order to make consumers feel good about what they purchase.”

“Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy,” doesn’t just highlight the issue with overconsumption: it holds all of the parties involved accountable, including the consumers. Bagenal informs her audience that we have to take credit for our part in the system. The consumers at the end of the day are being manipulated through advertising to take part in the overconsumption that capitalism celebrates. However, it is also true that there are ways to avoid partaking in this lifestyle of consumerism. As buyers, we need to shop smart and double check claims companies make about where they source their products or how environmentally friendly their business practices are.

Understanding the selling tactics of the corporations is how consumers can avoid falling for manipulation efforts. In conjunction with smart shopping, it is a consumer’s job to hold big companies accountable. Fighting for more ethically sourced products is a vital step in reducing waste and overconsumption. Ultimately, we cannot fight consumerism. We can only be informed of its impact, and reduce our own part in the harmful cycle. Until then, we must push for overconsumption to go out of style.