I see your point, but my belief is that we, the consumers, allow ourselves to be duped. No one lies to oneself better than oneself. It's all about feeding the ego to loosen the pockets. I am as guilty of playing this as anyone else. At my age, I have gotten much better at just saying no to impulse buying. I really think part of that is not having TV reception at home, rarely listening to the radio, and staying away from most internet social media. I am not inundated with all the marketing ploys, which cuts down on temptation. Having said that, I do scan the sales on this and another forum for "good deals, along with Ebay and Craigslist. Most of what I see that I think I want, I have no need for. Need has become more important than want.

To me, having a degree in Marketing is like being certified at lying with a ring of truth to it. In the end, it's the consumers that are to blame. I like the idea of having 1 car, 1 bike, etc. for life, but that is just not practical. All things age and become ineffective and a drain. As always, this is just opinion.