How and why do people who aren’t actually well off pay for this stuff?

[Watersunscream]

If I told you our income I would be told we are in the top percent of earners etc but I honestly couldn’t actually justify or financially manage these sorts of purchases.

Has anyone heard of the essentials brand? Literally hundreds for a tracksuit. I think another is Bergen? Expensive t shirts. Then there’s the usual like Fred Perry etc.

Obviously I know lots of wealthy people buy these things too but it’s mostly people from low income backgrounds. How do I know this? Because people I work with who live in deprived areas and not paid much are forever talking about these things! They actually buy the stuff for holidays or as gifts at Christmas etc. Is this a misguided attempt to gain status? An insecurity thing? I find it really bizarre, it wouldn’t ever cross my mind to spend this.

No, they are basically making clowns of themselves, buy a jumper from the charity shop and go and read some good investment books.

This! I know lots of people who drive expensive cars, have Chanel bags, but live in bad area, studio flat and thousands in debt.

MYOB
The majority is knock off.

My daughter's ex , as I said before, is thick as mince, he literally buys stuff because he's seen someone on SM with it , he probably would never have heard of Baccarat Rouge if it wasn't for SM. He has more than 20 bottles of after shave, most of which are unused.

Absolutely. I think when it’s within budget that’s the case, however when you begin to spend over and above your means the reality is no longer giving your family the best that you can but feeling the need to present an image

But it's his money.
If that's what he is choosing to spend it on then that's his choice.

Um, you can work hard for your money and fritter it away on shite. Some people have problems with spending, and their income or where it comes from does not really come into it. It is dopamine seeking.

Yes, there is a name for the subculture, can"t remember it though, it is fuelled by influencer clowns online, the kids are borrowing MASSIVE amounts with credit cards to buy designer shite to make their broken sense of self-worth feel better (How the self-worth got broken would also make a good study)

It's different priorities. I know someone who spends loads of money on holidays but doesn't have a car. Most of our money goes on a vehicle that can accommodate our disabled children's needs so we can't afford to go on holiday.

He sounds thick as a bag of shite.

I think you’re less likely to waste money that you’ve actually had to put effort into earning pretty sure that that’s been proven previously.
As I say it’s more a case of what else are you going to do with it? If it’s dirty money you can’t save it. Or purchase any assets.

Fake, stolen, TK Maxx, or bought second 👋

I bet he smells lovely though

Well, there is a huge gulf between prostitutes on "dirty money" and people working hard for theirs.

"But you're poor, why are you wearing that?" is the sentiment I got. Maybe that's why they're poor?

It is his money but when he was spending it on designer gear rather than paying his car loan and ending up over drawn and wrecking his credit rating, while my daughter was trying to save for a house deposit , it's very reckless.

I think a "bad" area is very subjective. If its all you know and you've happily lived there with friends and family, it probably feels like a decent place to live!
More money then means more luxuries rather than moving and leaving everyone you know.

I'm more wondering why people buy some things at the price they are - saw a kid near us, in a completely boring plain black t shirt but because it has a tiny North Face logo, it probably cost 3x (or more!) what my boring plain black t shirt cost. Why bother, especially for kids - it's the most uninspiring design, you're literally paying to just show you can afford it.

So actually, am not wondering at all - it's purely just to show off!

It might have been second hand. Kids grow so fast, it almost seems pointless to get them brand new clothing at all.

Is there ?

Are you serious?

He doesn"t open the bottles, some influencer has probably told him they will be worth more in the future.

Probably better quality and will last longer than a basic brand, Berghaus jackets for example last for many years and hold their windproof/waterproof qualities long after TK Maxx stuff has fallen to bits.

They may do but the people buying them don’t give a shit about what people in a social group which doesn’t respect them and has nothing in common with them think.

They care about the marginal benefit it gives them over their immediate peers and competitors.

Upper class people (landed gentry) look with utter disdain at the preoccupations of the chattering middle classes with their obsession with getting their kids into the right schools, with what they read and what wines they drink. The upper classes find it laughable that the middle classes care about such things because they don’t have to worry about their kids going to the right schools and universities. They know they are socially secure.

This doesn’t stop the festival of insecurity that middle class people indulge in over these things. Similarly the fact that an affluent middle class person is contemptuous of people who wear head to toe labels is irrelevant to a working class label addict. Its a different audience.

I got an Essentials knock-off hoody for £30 from Hacoo. Great quality.

But people who buy the real deal - they either;

• can afford to
• are in debt
• pay in monthly instalments via Klarna/etc.