A small keychain with an enormous price tag shocked Redditors on the subreddit r/Anticonsumption, prompting heated discussion about spending habits on luxury items.
One user shared a photo of the keychain, which is shaped like a frog and branded with Louis Vuitton's signature logo. Expressing their disbelief, they simply wrote, "960 for a keychain."
Commenters immediately chimed in with their criticisms. "It's not even cute or done well," one person said. Another declared it a "useless piece of junk."
And as one person explained: "This little guy should cost a fraction of that, even accounting for time and materials. But no, it's got their logo on it, so it costs more than a month's groceries."
Another commenter explained the appeal of such items. "This kind of products is actually aimed at 'aspirational consumers' - people who cannot afford to spend $6000 on a bag but they can still get the experience of owning luxury by buying a $1000 key chain with the very recognisable logo," they said. "It's pure consumption for the sake of consumption, basically role playing rich."
While being wealthy doesn't necessitate owning designer possessions, it's become a status symbol that appeals to many people. Unfortunately, as many commenters pointed out, this has led to a pattern of buying useless items that contribute to the mounting landfills around the globe.
"There's such a big overconsumption trend and it's sad that people have just completely given up on caring about the fact it's just gonna end up in a landfill," one person lamented.
There's no winning when it comes to trash. Landfills have become a major source of air pollution and microplastics, as items — particularly manufactured items, from textiles to home goods — release pollutive chemicals and particles as they slowly decompose. And when these items don't make it to landfills, they often end up in oceans and rivers, where these contaminants are even more harmful.
The solution, many have said, is to buy less and buy secondhand whenever possible in order to avoid contributing to the number of new items manufactured each year.
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Giving me money back 💰 Similarly, another Redditor mused, using upcycled materials to create something new would be a win-win. "We need to make DIY more popular," they said. "You could make that guy for less than that and you'd like him more because you put in the work."
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