Now Many People Regard Shopping As A Hobby | Band 9 IELTS Essay Sample
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? You should give reasons for your answer using your own ideas and experience.
Here is a band 9 essay on this topic. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.
Band 9 IELTS essay sample
In the olden days people only bought what they needed. However, over the last few decades, their purchasing power has increased and now shopping has become the favorite pastime of many people. In my opinion, this development should be discouraged because excessive consumption is bad for both the society and the environment.
The society has become more affluent over the years. Consequently, they now buy just about anything they can find in the market. It does not really bother them whether they actually need the product or not. Shopping has become a hobby and that explains why people constantly upgrade their mobile phones and cars. To take advantage of this compulsive urge to shop, manufacturers release upgraded versions of their gadgets every six months. The changes could be superficial and yet people place their order months in advance.
A disturbing aspect of this trend is that it leads to competition among peers. Mindless consumption also lands people in deep financial difficulty. Credit cards are widely available now and hence people can buy even if they do not have money in the wallet. Unfortunately, when they default on the card payment, they fall into the debt trap.
Another major downside of excessive consumption is that it leads to the production of more garbage. Landfills are already overflowing with products that are still very much usable. This causes land and water pollution. Another disadvantage of this development is that it results in further depletion of resources that have already become scarce. For example, when the demand for furniture increases more trees have to be cut down. Production also requires electricity and this leads to the burning of more fossil fuels.
In conclusion, when shopping becomes a hobby it does not benefit anyone. It lands the shopper in financial difficulty and also hurts the environment. Therefore, I believe that this is a negative development and it should be discouraged.
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Gone are the days when people treat shopping as an everyday chore. Thanks to the advanced technology, we can now access to many valuable goods online. Due to the convenience, shopping has become a pastime to many people. Yet, I opine that this is not desirable as it is bad both for ourselves and the environment.
First and foremost, shopping ruins relationship among peers. As everyone has different purchasing power, they might compare their ability to buy expensive goods. Not only will this cause peer comparison, but also, most imperatively it will affect the inner feelings of those who has lower consuming ability. They may feel left out and unwelcomed since they cannot catch up with the trend.
Furthermore, over-consumption leads to environmental issues. To free up space for new items, the old ones are disposed. This leads to the overflow of garbage in landfills. Sometimes, the new products have similar functions with the old ones. Apple releases new phones every half a year, yet, they have similar functions. However, with the promotions, consumers are persuaded to buy new ones even when it is unnecessary. As a result, many products are wasted every year. The overflow of landfills is worrying especially for cities which are already densely populated. It will further lead to land problems.
On the flip side, some may say shopping can gratify our psychological needs. One may feel delighted after purchasing something they want. However, this view sounds frivolous to me as spending money only causes short term happiness. It is impossible to fully satisfy one’s wants.
In conclusion, the tendency of increasing consumption is worrying. We must pay concerted effort to stop this as it is harming our relationships and the environment. We know we can and we must do it.
This is a nice essay and seems band 7 to me. Your content is good.