Are people really materialistic around NoVA? (Richmond, Manassas: loans, big house, buying)

[normie]

Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20

you're right because in richmond it's actually encouraged to make your own clothes or get them from locally owned boutiques.

Nice try, but weak argument. Your argument would have been stronger if you had tried saying something like "in Richmond we encourage people to not wear clothes at all."

Materialism has to do with obsession--so if your argument is that people in Richmond make their clothes or go to boutiques, then they are spending more time thinking about clothes, are thus more obsessed with clothes, and thus more materialistic than people who simply stop at a local store and pick up something to wear.

[RVA-Jsn20]

Originally Posted by normie

Nice try, but weak argument. Your argument would have been stronger if you had tried saying something like "in Richmond we encourage people to not wear clothes at all."

Materialism has to do with obsession--so if your argument is that people in Richmond make their clothes or go to boutiques, then they are spending more time thinking about clothes, are thus more obsessed with clothes, and thus more materialistic than people who simply stop at a local store and pick up something to wear.

LOL wow ok. sounds like you're the obsessive one to me


we make our own and shop at boutiques because we can't afford to 'simply stop at a local store and pick something up'

[blu_monk]

Who is Richmond makes their own clothes? Where?

When I lived in Richmond, I shopped at Kohls. lol.

[RVA-Jsn20]

Originally Posted by blu_monk

Who is Richmond makes their own clothes? Where?

When I lived in Richmond, I shopped at Kohls. lol.

many of my friends make their own clothes, as another poster said it's probably the younger crowd doing so. and i too shop at kohls sometimes even though it's pretty far from where i live, they have pretty good deals

but to be perfectly honest i haven't done much shopping the past few years since i've been in school. i've just done new things with the clothes i already have. one of my friends made her own trouser jeans which she claimed would catch on, but haven't as of yet . everyone seems to be stuck on the skinny jeans (which i also know many people sewed their own regular jeans into)

edit: many people also cut their jeans when it gets hot out to make them shorts, which seems a little short sighted to me but people do it nonetheless

[bmwguydc]

The same core stores are at all the malls around here, save for Landmark but that's an issue due to ongoing redevelopment plans. There is little difference between the J.C. Penney at Manassas Mall and the one at Fair Oaks Mall; and, the Sears at at Dulles Town Center sells the same merchanside as Sears at Landmark, Fair Oaks, and in the Seven Corners area.

We don't have many local boutiques in the area. Sure, there are some, but you'd have to travel downtown, or to College Park, or to Takoma Park to find some unique clothing stores. High real estate prices is the key barrier to entry for some smaller boutique shops that make/sell their own goods, so they can locate in a high enough traffic area to have sales that would outpace the rent and employment costs. By the time many such stores get up and running, such costs cause them to have to have a higher price point to survive -- not because they are materialistic. In some areas of the region, costs are not as high, or the local communities have incubated the growth of such industries, that they have enough traffic to sell their merchandise at a more reasonable price point (for the region), but they're likely going to be at a premium compared to other areas for the same small-company-sourced goods.

In that respect, you are correct, that Northern Virginia's DC suburbs do have more in common with their Northeastern counterparts, but it's not a function of the people who live in the area having a need to have designer merchandise. There are a good number of Kohl's stores, Target, and WalMart/K-Mart stores as well, and people shop at all of these stores, too. Not everyone judges people by what they wear, what they drive, where they shop, or where they live -- all hallmarks of a truly materialistic culture.

[ShannonMilligan]

some people are materialistic...But you will find that anywhere. This area does have a lot of wealthy people. But it also has a lot of people who just get by. And it has a lot of people in the middle. Really, just like anywhere.
We go to Tyson's Mall probably once a month. We like to take the kids to walk around and see the sights. That being said, I shop like I shop at Dulles. Ann Taylor Loft or Macy's. I buy things at Nordstrom from time to time...Not the high end stuff, usually the Carlson brand they have and things on that scale. (Tip_if you do buy there, keep your receipt as they ALWAYS have credited me the difference. Once I bought a blazer for $118. I kept going back until the price dropped and they gave me a credit. I ended up paying $48 for that balzer!) We also used to live in Philly and shopped at King Of Prussia Mall...I actually found that more upscale than Tysons. (Again, we would window shop, lol!)
ANYWAY...it is what you want it to be. I wouldn't worry about others-just make yourself happy.

[JD984]

I guess the anthropologist wanna-be in me tells me that you won't find any place where status doesn't count, and that status is more likely to be demonstrated through displays of material items in areas, such as NoVa, where people who've literally come from all over the world are living. Shopping is big in Dubai, Hong Kong and London, too. But material items aren't the only stock-in-trade here, so other attributes count more here than many other places. I actually find it amusing that a poster now living in Richmond took such an interest in this thread; Richmond is an interesting city, but also one where one's status historically was defined primarily by one's family background and connections. Some Richmonders are the types who look down on the "nouveau riche" (there's some French for you) because they don't come from the "right" families (aka the "First Families of Virginia" or FFVs).

This seems to fall squarely into live-and-let live territory. I live in a fairly expensive house, but have an incurable mental block that absolutely prevents me from even entering certain stores or spending more than a set amount, probably determined several decades ago, on certain types of clothes or menu items. Having said that, I enjoy seeing the younger, diverse crowds who appear to like to shop at places like Tysons. I have no idea whether they are wearing designer brands or generic knock-offs, and hope they aren't mired in debt they'll never pay off, but they seem to be having a good time.

I suppose that we could - and may yet be forced to - clamp down on any such displays of materialism. If that happens, we'll surely find other ways to establish our status. Other things being equal, I'm happier that someone tries to display his status by driving an Acura than by getting his picture in the state-controlled media next to a Politburo chief, "Dear Leader," or the Supreme Ayatollah.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20

we make our own and shop at boutiques because we can't afford to 'simply stop at a local store and pick something up'

???? I want to know what boutiques you're shopping at that cost less than chain stores.

[Caladium]

What's wrong with spending money, anyway? We have money, we spend it on the things that give us joy. What are we supposed to do, squirrel it away under a mattress? Like a lot of you I don't care much about clothes, but I have other things I spend money on. I happily spend lots of money for concert tickets. I just bought a big house, too. If that makes me materialistic, so what?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20

LOL wow ok. sounds like you're the obsessive one to me

That's your best counter argument? Lame.