Shopping Haul Videos – ‘Hot’ or ‘Not-so-haute’

“Why not show off if you’ve got something to show?”

Well my wonderful shoppers, what do you think of this crazy trend that’s gaining huge popularity with the shopping masses in America- haul videos! For those of you who haven’t heard of it, it’s just a bunch of videos recorded and uploaded by a group of ‘generous’ shoppers who believe they have made the ultimate purchase and must share that valuable knowledge with the whole entire universe! Ranging from fashion accessories to home care products, the video basically consists of a single girl/guy describing what they bought and why!

“Vanity’s closet”

Now while this may seem like a nice way to review an appliance, I just don’t understand haul videos for clothes! Try watching one with a teenager who’s just returned from ‘Forever 21’ with a bag full of fashion industry’s worst mistakes. With no presenting skills whatsoever, she deliberately picks out each and every item she got and describes why it’s ‘just-so-awesome’ in the vainest way possible, that I literally want to shake her and yell, who cares! The ones with sensible women our age usually do a much better job of explaining their clothing choices.

“Do-the-match”

Here’s what I have an issue with- this myriad collection of haul video bloggers, looking for 5 minutes of fame, sure aren’t any kind of experts right. So why would their conceptions and combinations appeal to me? More often than not, I find these videos a unique source of “what-not-to-wear”! And even if the clothes do accidentally end up being styled and paired well, how do I know it will fit me right when have a completely different complexion and characteristics. In all the time it takes to go through multiple hauls and find one that suits me best, I might as well go to the store and try the outfits on myself!

“Paltry plus points”

If these viral shopping videos have become such a huge thing, it must be doing something right. It’s probably the fact that hauls rarely have anything negative to say, with the assumption that people only buy things that they like. This opens an amazing alley for advertisements and the like. I also happen to like home décor’ hauls. It’s like having my very own interior decorator at no cost!

So what do you have to say about haul videos- productive or painful?