IELTS Essay # 76 - 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?

Essay # 76

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?

Shopping is developing into a preferred leisure time activity lately. The main reason for this is the changing attitude of people regarding shopping becoming more than just a necessity. This essay shall attempt to throw light on the main reasons for this development.

As the lifestyles have evolved, people’s buying habits have too. Earlier people used to consider going for shopping as a rare outing where they had to spend a lot for the necessary supplies for their households and themselves. People also had the habit of saving money before going on a shopping spree. However, these ideas about shopping have faded away now and it is considered to be more of a rewarding activity for oneself.

Since people work hard to earn, they feel like buying something for themselves that will please them is a way of rewarding themselves for the efforts they put in to earn a living. Shopping for nice clothes, or a pair of shoes, or a nice meal that can be cooked at home, these all are things that can make a person feel glad after buying. The development of luxurious shopping malls has also complemented the fact of making shopping an enjoyable experience. Many surveys have resulted in shoppers saying they feel relaxed and stress-free after they shop in their favourite mall or their favourite store. Moreover, some online-shopping addicts admit that buying something every month and waiting for the package to arrive is strangely, but extremely pleasing and satisfying.

All the above-mentioned reasons indicate the new perspective to shopping to be a good development. However, there are unnecessary expenses also that are incurred when we shop in such a careless manner. Many times we pick up things we’re not really interested in, but take them for the sake of buying. This lifestyle trend also creates an imbalance in the society wherein the people who can afford, can shop frequently, making the ones who cannot, feel inferior. This promotes the nature of being too materialistic.

To sum up, I believe shopping is a good leisure time activity, provided we exercise control over ourselves and don’t get too carried away. The idea of spending on something to feel satisfied is oddly unsettling, and should not be practised to a large extent.

(332 words)