Consumerism
Vox’s coverage of consumer culture.
From Trader Joe’s totes to Starbucks Bearista cups, low-end items carry more meaning in the affordability era.
The eerie, baby-eyed figurines are divisive on purpose.
From Dunkin’ deodorant to Sabrina Carpenter perfume, smelling good isn’t enough — it’s all about smelling edible.
Everyone likes cheap consumer goods that will get more expensive under Trump’s tariffs.
Drivers and delivery workers are trying to disrupt Amazon’s Christmas package deliveries.
Why do humidifiers suck?
How the dessert company taps into the never-ending cycle of hyper-consumption.
What you should buy — and absolutely not buy — during this annual consumer ritual.
New tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China could make life more expensive.
Buying refurbished devices saves you money — and helps the planet.
And what to do with presents you just don’t want.
America is in toy overload, and it might just be ruining fun.
We buy stuff. We throw it away. There’s a system to stop this toxic cycle.
How the once-maligned retailer quietly became a closet staple — and a stock market giant — once again.
For Amazon workers, the bevy of sales reinforces the human toll of “same-day delivery, lifetime of injury.”
Is Amazon’s big made-up shopping holiday past its prime?
How skorts became cool again, as explained by Challengers and Taylor Swift.
The strange ways we do (and don’t) consume glizzies.
Sonny Angels, from TikTok trend to SNL sketch fodder, explained.
How a worker-driven initiative is filling in the gaps left behind by corporate social responsibility programs.
Why every store wants to give you something for (almost) nothing.
The commodification of an activist concept turned a revitalizing practice into an isolating one.
In times of economic uncertainty, small luxuries reign supreme.
From kava to “sleepy girl mocktails,” can anything ever take the place of booze?
The internet loves Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company. But it loves its ads even more.
From drought in the Panama Canal to the Houthis in the Suez to pirates off Somalia, we’re all paying the price.
Stimulants, hustle culture, and bodybuilding are shaping young men’s drift to the right.
Consumers are probably safe, but that doesn’t mean lead-laden cups are a good idea.
Explaining Gen Z’s reigning beauty queen.
Big Wool wants you to believe it’s nice to animals and the environment. It’s not.
Maybe your cat loves you. Maybe it would kill you if it could.
You can say no to the tipping tablet. That doesn’t mean you should.
A thoroughly modern nuisance for consumers, shippers, and retailers alike.
Retailers would rather complain about shoplifting than invest in fighting it.
What you give and what you get when a company has your phone number.
From $1,000 sneakers to $450 bakeware, our lust for expensive things has hit new highs.
As diners increasingly turn to delivery, the future of fast food may be one with no human interaction at all.
The FTC wants to make it easier for you to cancel that gym membership, among other things.