Shopping & Consumer Culture: English Vocabulary List

to buy or obtain something, often clothing or merchandise

"He copped the new sneakers today."

"He managed to cop a pair of the limited edition sneakers before they sold out completely within minutes."

the practice of rationalizing spending as justified, minimal, or harmless

"Girl math made the purchase seem free."

"Her girl math convinced her that returning a fifty dollar shirt justified buying a hundred dollar dress."

a cheaper or imitation version of a designer or high-end product

"The store brand is a dupe."

"She found a dupe of the expensive serum at the drugstore for a fraction of the price."

a collection of recent purchases, often shared in videos or on social media

"She showed off her shopping haul."

"She posted a video of her haul showing all the clothes shoes and bags she bought at the mall."

a shopping trip focused on hunting for deals, bargains, or rare items

"The weekend shopping trip was a retail safari."

"The shopping trip was a retail safari through the outlet mall looking for bargains on designer brands."

a purchase made spontaneously or on a whim, without prior planning

"The candy was an impulse buy."

"The candy bar at the checkout was an impulse buy that added unnecessary calories and cost."

someone who browses, observes, or inspects without intending to buy

"The looky-loo left without buying."

"The looky loo stared through the store window but never went inside to actually buy anything."

to go shopping, often for clothing, sometimes implying a shopping spree

"She went to the mall to pop tags on some new jeans."

"The excited shoppers went to the mall to pop tags and buy new clothes for the upcoming party."

the practice of buying thrifted clothing and reselling or upcycling it to increase its value or style

"She makes money from thrift flipping."

"She made money thrift flipping by buying old furniture cheap and reselling it after refinishing."

the act of shopping to improve one's mood or alleviate stress

"Shopping is retail therapy."

"Many people engage in retail therapy to temporarily relieve stress and boost their mood after a difficult day."

to engage in excessive shopping, often until physically exhausted

"On vacation, we shop till you drop."

"My sister loves to shop till you drop on Black Friday when all the stores have huge sales."

to store or preserve clothing or sneakers in their original packaging for future use or resale

"He deadstocks his rare shoes."

"The serious collector prefers to deadstock his rare shoes and never actually wear them at all."