Why do people accumulate stuff? Part 1: Questions and answers.

Assignment 4 asks us to pick a topics, formulate and conduct interviews of a few people about our chosen subject, write up our findings and offer our own opinions.


I decided to investigate why people accumulate stuff. To form a structure for my interview I first completed a mind map to fully explore my chosen question.

The above shows the different avenues of my interviews ranging from questions on the experience of shopping to the experiences of throwing away items in the home.

Here is a list of the questions I asked in the order in which I asked them...

1. Are you a person who accumulates stuff?
2. What type of thing do you accumulate? Is it a collection or things with no connection?
3. Do you have a use for the things you accumulate?
4. Where do you keep the things you accumulate?
5. Where do you keep the things you accumulate? Are they on show or stored out of sight?
6. Do you have an emotional attachment to the things you accumulate?
7. Do you by these things simply for want or need?
8. How do you feel when shopping?
9. On reflecting of buying these items how do you feel about them? Worth keeping them? Waste of money?
10. Could you live without them?
11. Would you stretch your budget or go out of pocket to purchase these items?
12. Is purchasing these products an addiction?
13. When you clear out your house do you throw any of these items away?
14. If you do, how do you feel about doing so? Relieved? Regret?
15. Are there any items which you keep because they have been passed down to you by a family member?
16. Are there any items you have accumulated you are keeping to pass down to another family member?

To give you some background on the interviewees, I have put together a character profile on each person

Interviewee 1

Age: Unknown.

Sex: Female.

Marital Status: Single.

Occupation: Design Student.

Dependants: One Daughter.

In charge of Household: Yes.

Interviewee 2

Age: 19.

Sex: Male.

Marital Status: In a Relationship.

Occupation: Accounts Student and Works in Super Market Part-Time.

Dependants: None.

In Charge of Household: No. Lives with mother and sister.

Interviewee 3

Age: Early Forties.

Sex: Female.

Marital Status: Married for over 20 years.

Occupation: N/A

Dependants: 3 Daughters.

In Charge of Household: Yes.

Notes from first interview:

She does accumulate stuff, particularly books, which she has a practical use for, and other items such as shells, for their sentimental value. The books she collects are on topics which interest her/ make her more knowledgeable on the subject rather than novels for reading pleasure. The books and mementos are on display around her home. She feels these items make the house her own and much more homely. She also keeps materials which she does not have a use for but refuses to throw them out in case they come in handy one day. She finds it hard to resist bargains and will collect many items from car boot sales. She has a hard time throwing away any work from school as she would like her daughter to be able to use them to aid her own studies. She has a habit of retrieving items her daughter bins, particularly old toys as she has an emotional attachment to them and hopes one day any grandchildren she has will make use of them. When clearing out she looses sight of her intention of throwing away unwanted items and often goes back through piles she has made of stuff to be thrown out, deciding to keep most of it. Her garage and attic are filled with various things as she has run out of room in her house. She mostly buys for need rather than want, feeling the need to justify any spending. She is attached to her personal belongings but not to the extent that she could not live without them. After initial disappointment, she would recover if any of these items were taken from her. She owns a bedding box which her father made and gave to her which she keeps. Apart from perhaps this item she has no particularly treasured items, she likes them all!

Notes from second interview:

The things he accumulates are related to his interests in film, music, computer gaming and comic books. He also accumulates issues of Rolling Stone magazine and has several issues at any one time. He has several hundred DVDs and many album CDs. Although he could simply download or borrow DVDs or CDs he has a need to own the physical item himself. In the case of the CDs this is simply for show as he only listens to music on his laptop or ipod. Comic book and records are items he collects and many have sentimental value to him. Records he feels he could live without and simply buys them for quality of sound. Games he is not so attached to as after playing them he has no problem trading them in for different games. When shopping for these items he feels excited and is usually very glad he purchased the items. He realises DVDs and CDs come down in price rapidly but feels he can not wait for them to do so and regularly pays full price for the satisfaction of owning them straight away. After attending music concerts he proudly displays the used tickets on his bedroom wall. He plans to keep his collection of Disney Pixar blu-rays as he believes they are classics. He hopes any children he has in the future will be able to appreciate them.

Notes from third interview:

She accumulates stuff she has a use for and has a purpose around the house. She buys for practicality. Very few sentimental items are displayed around the house and any belongings are tidied away. She shops mostly for need and only occasionally for want. The items she buys often last for years as she chooses classic items she thinks will not date or go out of fashion and takes care of her belongings. Looking back on such items she still thinks they are a worth while purchase.She is very pleased and feels successful when she finds what she is looking for in a shop often bragging about her find. She is frustrated when she cant find exactly what she needs. She is very ruthless when having a clear out and when something has for filled it's purpose and no longer has a use she has no difficulty parting with it. She tends not to keep things in the hope she one day might need it. On the other hand she recently refused to throw out chopsticks as she feels they have a practical use when redecorating the house as they can be used for stirring paint... She doesn't plan to redecorate anytime soon. For a short while she is relieved to be rid of stuff but often finds a use for something once it has been thrown out and then regrets getting rid of it.