IELTS essay sample | Many people go shopping in their free time

IELTS essay topic

Nowadays many people go shopping in their free time. Shopping has replaced many other activities that people used to choose as their hobby. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development?

Sample essay

More and more people now go shopping when they have a few hours to spare. For many people, shopping has become some sort of a therapy or hobby. There are many reasons behind this trend.

To start with, individuals with disposable incomes are on the rise. When people earn more than what they need to make both ends meet, they are unlikely to feel guilty about splurging on luxuries. So, they happily spend the surplus cash on various items. Consumerism also encourages people to go on a shopping spree. Ads are everywhere. Every day we get bombarded with numerous marketing messages. Savvy marketers convince us that we need to buy the latest products on the market to look fashionably cool. Credit cards have made shopping easier. Even if you don’t have cash on hand, you can buy things by entering your card details. People also shop to keep up with their friends or relatives.

Shopping for essential items is definitely harmless. However, a compulsive need to shop can have very negative consequences. There are people who shop till they drop. These compulsive shoppers have an insatiable need to amass things. They don’t care whether they are buying things that they actually need or use. Shopaholics easily run huge debts. People buy things thinking that they will be able to pay off their credit card bill when it is due. They run into serious trouble when they miss the due dates.

To conclude, excessive marketing and growing consumerism are the reasons that turn normal shoppers into shopaholics. This is a harmful trend that needs to be checked.