A Reddit post is drawing strong reactions after one user described living with a parent whose online shopping habits generate a steady stream of fast-fashion deliveries, frequent returns, and the disposal of still-usable clothing.
What happened?
Writing on r/Anticonsumption on Reddit, the original poster said the sheer number of orders had made them feel responsible for an exhausting flow of parcels. They wrote that their mom "usually orders 10 dresses per week and returns eight or nine," adding, "I feel like a logistics company handling so many parcels."
The poster said the problem also affected the rest of the household. They claimed that even the clothing their mother keeps is "thrown into the trash after max two wears" and said their mother has taken "shirts, pants, and socks out of my closet and throw[n] them away which are perfectly fine."
They described food waste as another recurring issue. According to the post, their parents "once bought five eggplant pizzas neither me nor my dad eats" and "refuse to donate food we can't eat and insist on throwing it away."
One change, however, did seem to help. The OP wrote that "we go grocery shopping by a list now," a shift they said reduced grocery costs, cut food waste to around 15%, and led to better-quality food.
Why does it matter?
Every unnecessary shipment, return, and discarded item can mean more packaging waste, more transportation pollution, and more products headed to landfills long before the end of their usable life.
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Beyond the environmental toll, overbuying and buying fast fashion can normalize wasteful habits and strain budgets.
The OP's account also shows how those habits can affect other family members, especially when usable belongings and edible food are treated as disposable.
The grocery list change described in the post also shows how a simple household rule can reduce waste and costs.
What are people saying?
Many commenters responded with empathy, with some comparing the situation to their own experiences with relatives whose buying habits seemed compulsive or hard to challenge.
"Yikes. Maybe talk with your mom about big ticket items that she'd like to save up for?" one suggested. "While you might not be able to get her out of the consumer mindset, perhaps if she exercises some restraint in pursuit of a bigger goal (like a single piece of high quality jewelry or clothing), it might train her willpower."
"What I'd do is talk to her about how much money could be saved rather than focusing on the environment and tell her that you prefer that she let you make the decision on how long you keep clothing," another suggested.
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