If you’re still buying clothes online during lockdown you need to sort yourself out

You are not helping anyone, at all

| UPDATED

We’re a month into lockdown. We’ve settled into new routines and found ourselves new personalities. We’re accustomed to our one government-sanctioned walk a day and know we can’t leave the house for unnecessary things. Socialising with your mates now takes place through Houseparty or Zoom, and we’ve all found a pub quiz on some corner of the internet to tune into weekly, but seriously, why can’t we let go of buying clothes online?

Scrolling through the depths of ASOS, Pretty Little Thing and Topshop is undeniably a coping mechanism for lockdown. Lying in bed picturing the snakeskin print bikinis we would have worn in Summer 2020, or the bold fits that were guaranteed over 100 likes on Insta is a happy distraction from the weird pandemic world we are living in. I get it, but we need to stop.

Firstly, buying nice clothes is obviously pointless because you’re not going anywhere

By now, your holiday has definitely been cancelled, you literally can’t go out, see your friends, go on dates. What is the point?  You might be able to post your Carhartt sweater and funky mom jeans on Insta, but after scraping those likes, you’re left with the wardrobe and a wedge of validation that will last for about four days when you feel the need to upload again.

Perhaps you’re preparing for your post-lockdown glow-up, weeks, if not months, in advance. I get wanting to feel good, treating yourself, buying something new, getting fancy simply because it makes you feel good. But, right now, it’s selfish. Just treat yourself by actually getting dressed or brushing your hair, you are putting other people at risk.

Every order you make is keeping staff working in unsafe environments

Retailers across the UK have closed their high street stores amid the coronavirus pandemic. New Look, H&M, ZARA, and Topshop have all closed their doors in protection of their staff. Yet, every influencer under the sun will make sure you’re aware of a 70 per cent off sale online somewhere.

When you shop online, your items aren’t bagged up by corona-immune robots. There are human beings behind your online shop. By continuing to shop online, you’re keeping them in a job that is putting them at risk.

If companies are maintaining the same demand they had before lockdown, you’d be stupid to assume that they can meet those demands within the government guidelines. Two-metre distancing in narrow aisles? Shared facilities? Thousands of workers under one roof?

Each clothes haul you order keeps those workers at risk. Why is it acceptable that you remain safe and secluded in your own home, but ensure people have to attend work in unsuitable conditions to make sure your clothes haul comes to your door? These companies are continuing to ship stuff because there is a demand for it, if they’re not going to be responsible and stop it, you will have to.

Online shopping is still bad for the environment, even in lockdown

Obviously, the environment is out of sight out of mind for a lot of people right now. But it’s worth considering, any business that involves mass production of clothes, wrapping them up in single-use plastic and driving it to your door is clearly not great for the planet.

Journalist and Author, Fred Pearce, states that in practice online shopping is still bad for the environment. If your new Adidas trackies didn’t fit, you’re going to want that £40 back, so you return it. Carbon footprint goes up. Online shopping is a contributor to the pollution of the planet, and if you thought by not using your car during lockdown that you were doing your bit, getting someone else to deliver your clothes completely eliminates that.

If you’re still buying clothes online you need to get a grip. Think about other people and whether or not your clothes haul is really worth it.

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