So it's like nicotine patches? Gives you a similar dopamine hit without the wallet hit?

This is a pretty good idea but what if we simulated actual store UI such as Amazon

When people buy, you should send them a postcard to close the dopamine loop.

In my experience the majority of compulsive shoppers like getting a box almost as much as whatever is in it

Worked in a mall in the 90s and thought a store that let people 'shop' but not actually pay money for things might be fun/useful. Or... sort of like a membership. $10/month, come in to some luxury type store - browse, test out stuff, etc. Go through a 'checkout' step with your 'store card', just... leave the items in the store as you leave. For some folks, the leaving and driving away is the 'high', but for a lot of folks, the 'purchase' itself is the high, and it's downhill after that. I saw so many people buying things they shouldn't buy - and that was over 30 years ago(!). I know it's only become worse over the years.

FWIW - my idea was possibly sort of dumb, but I was a bit of a dumb kid at times... :)

Does it track my behavior to sell it to advertisers of less whimsical storefronts?

this is brilliant

I have found that adding things to a todo (Todist) list called "want-to-buy" gives me the little endorphin boost / anxiety relief without spending any money. I periodically go through and delete stuff from this list after time has passed, and I'm always glad I didn't go through with the purchases. Rarely I will come across something I truly do still want, and will purchase it.

I think this could work if it was more than just a static site with no description page. Give it description pages with gallery, reviews etc.

This is like cigarettes and coffee for ex-alcoholics.

I'd heavily expand on the selection. Maybe even make them AI generated with beautiful designs so people can go through an endless catalogue. Dream. You may be on to something and this may be bigger than your original idea. You could help people dream about stuff that does not exist.

I try to combat the shopping addiction by ensuring for every purchase, (1), that the price is really good, (2), that the quality is actually really good, too.

For example, $149 for a great monitor is a great deal. But it has to be IPS, USB-C, DP 1.4, QHD or higher, 400nits etc. Normally, these retail for $599, so, I don't buy. Many monitors retail for $99, but they're FHD 250nits VGA crap.

Slickdeals.net is a nice website where you can find some of these deals. Keep in mind that even for really good deals, some people over there would still be unhappy and would still expect higher specs or lower price, so, you have to use your own judgement whether something is good or not. Recently missed a 32in 4K UHD monitor at 159.99 because it was a VA, and people complained too much that VA sucks, but the rest of the specs were just too good, and it sold out quickly; OTOH, I can now wait for a better deal!

I resist buying many things by thinking about my kids having to (some day) deal with it when I kick the bucket.

I started buying silver, platinum, and gold coins. Itches that “get shiny” scratch, and I’ve been profitable enough to not regret collecting something. After I got started, I became a calmer, more rational investor in the digital realm. Something about the physical weight of the silver unlocked some “it’s all okay” mechanism in my brain. It felt drug like, a chemical change.

Amazing store, but I think the elite soccer ball is a tad bit too expensive at $21. I'll wait until black Friday I think then get that for my least favourite nephew.

Great work!

Hey, I found iPhone selling at $139.99:

https://justbuynothing.com/product/5013

I guess it's iPhone 12 Pro, specifically:

> Powerful A14 Bionic chip ensuring seamless multitasking

I think this shows why AI content generation with no human check can be problematic -- the training data sometimes just leaks out.

>Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverend_Billy_and_the_Church_...

Interesting. So much fun clicking around on the website. Not that I'm addicted to online shopping tho but still a pretty fun site to play around with.

You are never too old to play store.