start

P2 Data design + theory

sophie van den broek

My expierence

I noticed that my feelings changed during the corona virus. I was more irritable and getting a rash from anxiety attacks. In these crazy times i wanted to have something normal and pleasing and I noticed that I was buying a lot more things than before corona especially clothes and craft materials. I found this really interesting because before corona I was already struggling with decreasing the amount of fast fashion I shopped and during corona these boundaries where fading. So I asked my friends and family member if they could send me their purchases during the corona pandemic and see if there were similarities.

nr naam
1 roos
2 mike
3 ik
4 roos
5 mike
6 roos
7 roos
8 ik
9 ik
10 ik
11 noelle
12 noelle
13 noelle
14 noelle
15 brenda
16 brenda
17 brenda
18 lisa
19 lisa
20 lisa
21 lisa
22 lisa
23 lisa
24 lisa
25 ik
26 ik
27 ik
28 ik
29 ik
30 renee
31 renee
31 renee
32 sabine
33 sabine
34 sabine
35 ik
36 ik
37 ik
38 ik
39 roosmarie
40 ik
41 ik
42 nina
43 nina
44 willeke
45 nina
46 nina
47 nina
48 ik
49 ik
50 ik
51 ik
52 ik
53 ik
54 bo
55 bo
56 bo
57 bo
58 bo
59 bo
60 frederique
61 frederique
62 frederique
63 frederique
64 frederique
65 mike
66 mike
67 mike
68 mike
69 sabine
70 sabine
71 sabine
72 willeke
73 femke
74 femke
75 willeke
76 willeke
77 jolien
78 joline
79 quinty
80 quinty
81 evy
82 evy
83 femke
84 femke
85 michelle
86 willeke
87 willeke
88 willeke
89 willeke
90 willeke
91 michelle
92 michelle
93 hans
94 hans
95 hans

datum
10-4-2020
25-3-2020
7-4-2020
12-4-2020
18-4-2020
8-4-2020
1-4-2020
6-4-2020
23-3-2020
12-4-2020
30-4-2020
9-4-2020
30-4-2020
3-4-2020
1-5-2020
2-5-2020
7-5-2020
24-4-2020
1-5-2020
21-4-2020
28-4-2020
5-5-2020
3-5-2020
8-5-2020
11-5-2020
7-5-2020
7-5-2020
4-5-2020
29-4-2020
3-5-2020
9-5-2020
11-5-2020
22-4-2020
12-5-2020
22-4-2020
27-4-2020
29-4-2020
1-5-2020
2-5-2020
5-5-2020
3-5-2020
3-5-2020
24-4-2020
8-5-2020
27-3-2020
9-5-2020
20-4-2020
28-3-2020
19-3-2020
10-4-2020
4-5-2020
28-4-2020
5-4-2020
27-4-2020
26-4-2020
28-4-2020
3-5-2020
4-5-2020
7-5-2020
10-5-2020
23-4-2020
23-4-2020
2-5-2020
3-5-2020
20-4-2020
16-4-2020
20-4-2020
20-4-2020
9-5-2020
11-4-2020
11-5-2020
28-4-2020
31-3-2020
14-4-2020
1-5-2020
31-3-2020
31-3-2020
9-5-2020
11-5-2020
10-5-2020
28-3-2020
31-3-2020
8-4-2020
17-4-2020
24-4-2020
20-4-2020
7-5-2020
7-5-2020
7-5-2020
7-5-2020
7-5-2020
10-5-2020
28-3-2020
15-4-2020
1-5-2020
26-3-2020

ontvanger
thommy Hilfiger
autodealer
stradivarius
hallmark
WE
de molen
Albert heijn
sushi point
H&M
only
lucardi
dressed by kirsten
aktiesport
guts & gusto
intertoys
bruna
la bella vita
zalando
about you
kruidvat
gal & gal
Jumbo
helpjecluppie
t gasthuisje
albert heijn
de boerenbonthal
jandegrote kleinvakman
bakker bart
vankessel fietsspecialist
zara
albertheijn
opnieuw & co
kruidvat
sahan
action
only
blokker
odessa
mac donalds
hema
support je cluppie
tikkie
ikea
nespresso
ikea
jumbo
h&m
albertheijn
action
hunkemoller
albertheijn
ali express
fiorito
jumbo
albert heijn
HUB shoewear
ambianze bloemen en sfeer
GAMMA
PUQ
dekbed discounter
zalando
love by fashion
Bea Beerens
JD sports
onbekend
MAX
total
thuisbezorgd
beauty zone relax and care
stieglitz
sahan
ikea
the sting
van dijk
leenbakker
costes
the sting
hunkemoller
albert heijn
hm
zara
vouchervandaag
omoda
paula's choice
zara
green life store
the sting
costes
H&M
zara
jd sports
decathlon
costes
van tilburg mode en sport
an schoenen
bol.com

soort
kleding
auto
kleding
post
kleding
eten
eten
eten
kleding
kleding
sierraad
kleding
kleding
kleding
spelletje
boek
voedsel
kleding
kleding
verzorging
drank
eten
kleding
decoratie
voedsel
stoffen
fournituren
eten
onderdelen
kleding
eten
decoratie
verzorging
eten
decoratie
kleding
spiritus
kapper
eten
vermaak
kleding
cadeau
decoratie
cadeau
meubels
bloemen
kleding
eten
vermaak
kleding
eten
decoratie
bloemen
eten
eten
kleding
bloemen
bouw materiaal
kleding
bedtextiel
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
tatouage
kleding
benzine
eten
cadeaubon
kleding
eten
meubels
kleding
kleding
meubels
kleding
kleding
kleding
eten
kleding
kleding
voucher
kleding
verzorging
kleding
decoratie
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
kleding
gadgets

gevoel
verveeld
heel goed
goed
medelijden
neutraal
blij
neutraal
heel goed
heel goed
goed
blij
heel blij
blij
blij
goed
goed
goed
goed
goed
neutraal
goed
neutraal
neutraal
goed
neutraal
goed
goed
niet goed
niet goed
niet goed
neutraal
goed
niet goed
neutraal
neutraal
neutraal
neutraal
heel goed
goed
goed
neutraal
neutraal
goed
goed
gespannen
goed
goed
neutraal
heel goed
neutraal
neutraal
goed
goed
neutraal
neutraal
goed
goed
niet goed
goed
niet goed
niet goed
goed
heel goed
goed
neutraal
goed
niet goed
goed
goed
heel goed
niet goed
niet goed
goed
goed
goed
niet goed
heel goed
neutraal
neutraal
niet goed
niet goed
goed
goed
onzeker
goed
goed
goed
heel blij
geirriteerd
goed
goed
goed
niet goed
heel goed
goed
goed

bedrag
54,95
7000
40
15,95
62,95
85
25,2
30,95
30,95
44,95
49,95
44,9
79,98
132,47
11,95
22,99
2,5
39.95
51,76
32,46
22,5
2
20,5
15,25
28,56
44,28
6,75
13,75
7,5
5,95
8,16
25,45
4,45
9,85
28,8
10,2
2,93
15
4,5
13,25
20,52
2,5
98
99
97,8
10
54,95
35
14,95
34,95
5,95
5
18
8,6
166,09
119,95
26,5
62,37
50
285,95
83
54,99
625
120
30
240
60
17
30
247
2,35
487,9
38,95
29,95
26,2
7,5
19,96
97
7,98
20,95
27,8
75,87
49,95
10
16,95
35
64,87
37,46
14,99
9,99
75
50
35
274,85
59,95
229,95

luxe/primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
primair
primair
luxe
primair
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
primair
primair
luxe
luxe
primair
primair
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
primair
primair
luxe
luxe
primair
luxe
luxe
primair
primair
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe
luxe

online/offline
online
offline
online
online
offline
online
offline
online
online
offline
online
offline
online
online
online
offline
offline
online
online
offline
offline
offline
online
online
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
online
online
online
online
offline
offline
online
offline
offline
online
offline
online
offline
offline
offline
online
offline
offline
online
online
online
offline
offline
online
offline
offline
offline
online
offline
online
offline
offline
online
offline
offline
online
online
offline
offline
online
online
online
online
online
online
online
offline
offline
offline
offline
offline
online
online
online
offline
online

Sophie van den broek - 0964978

“58 million Americans are actually spending more money while social distancing, despite being able to go out less, in large part because many people are participating in ‘comfort buying’ or shopping as a way to relieve stress and boredom,” WalletHub wrote in its report

Many people are shopping to ease stress, according to the survey, which found 43 percent of Americans have participated in “comfort buying” due to social isolation

The survey also found that people are using entertainment and drinking to take the edge off. Americans are said to be spending the most “non-essential” money on entertainment (29 percent) and alcohol (23 percent). That’s followed by clothing, beauty products, electronics, toys and exercise equipment

Consumerism persist even during COVID-10

My greatest concern at the outset of quarantine, I admit, was boredom while working from home and being stuck in my apartment for weeks on end. It was the very thing I had spent years avoiding even as a freelance writer, renting co-working spaces and going to cafes. So when I had reassured myself that the necessities were in order in my and my girlfriend’s apartment — enough food, toilet paper, disinfectant wipes — or at least available nearby, I embarked on an Amazon-enabled nesting campaign.

Anxiety comes in different varieties right now. We worry about the basics, like staying healthy and feeding ourselves. Then the second-order concerns emerge, if you’re privileged enough to be able to work remotely. The fear of boredom, coping badly with confinement, or not having the best equipment to do your work — those are anxieties, too, albeit lesser ones. So I bought some things that I thought might offer more comfort and stability: a fancy television, a bungee-cord office chair, and a door-mounted pull-up bar. I figured that the products might even be a net good for social distancing, since they would further discourage me from going out.

Quarantine is a confusing moment to be a consumer. So much “nonessential” business has ground to a halt, yet goods still have to be produced, marketed, and sold in order to sustain factories, companies, and, most importantly, the jobs they create. All the closed storefronts are just the symbol of people, particularly hourly workers, out of work. With a recession or even depression looming, we’re all worried about our livelihoods.

The quandary is, should we make ourselves comfortable in the short term by stockpiling whatever’s available, relying on exploitative digital platforms and putting pressure on the supply chain, or should we be saving money for the future? Quarantine consumerism is either a way of stimulating the economy one pull-up bar at a time, or it’s an unnecessary risk both for ourselves and for delivery workers. Still, it’s a risk many are taking. Plenty of distinctly nonessential products, like those I bought, are selling out.

When I described my shopping haul to Shipra Gupta, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who studies how consumers react to scarcity, she differentiated between consumers’ utilitarian motivations and their hedonic motivations. Utilitarian motivations are functional, urging us toward buying necessities, especially when we perceive scarcity. Hedonic fulfillment is instead “derived from the perceived fun or playfulness of the shopping,” according to International Management Review. In a 2003 paper, Mark Arnold and Kristy Reynolds identify six categories of hedonic shopping. The most relevant right now, in the absence of physical interaction, are “adventure shopping for stimulation and excitement,” “gratification shopping to enhance mood,” and “idea shopping to stay current with trends.”

Such purchases might not be totally necessary, but they are an important way of exercising freedom that’s lost during a moment like quarantine. “Buying a TV was more about your hedonic fulfillment, trying to regain your lost control which the environment has given you,” Gupta said. In other words, we shop so we can feel some agency over this uncontrollable situation.

Chris Casey, a video producer in Brooklyn, was worried about losing his exercise habit without access to the gym during quarantine, so he mulled a set of PowerBlock weights on Amazon. By the time he made his decision, however, the maker said they weren’t available anymore, possibly because Amazon’s warehouses are now focusing on “household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products.” “I shouldn’t have spent so much time researching the different varieties of adjustable dumbbells, that’s what killed me,” Casey said. The same thing happened with a pull-up bar he tried to buy — it’s now back ordered. (It was from the same brand as mine, marked as Amazon’s pick.)

For Erik Hyman, a nonprofit development manager, the go-to hedonic quarantine product was upscale Fever-Tree tonic water for gin-and-tonic cocktails. “Knowing I would be isolated, I wanted to treat myself,” Hyman said. But, “I went to five different stores and couldn’t find Fever-Tree anywhere.” Whole Foods-Amazon deliveries were limited to a single bottle. He eventually found it by surprise during a trip to Target, but his cache is already running low. “All these virtual happy hours, what am I going to drink during them?”

Buying this kind of stuff is an obvious attempt to replace the pre-quarantine lives that we’ve been forced to leave behind. “In some ways, we’re overcompensating,” Hyman said. He described his thinking: “If I usually go to a cocktail bar and order a gin drink, but I can’t keep a full bar stocked in my apartment, what’s the best tonic I can get?” We’re craving a few symbols of normalcy in the midst of a terrifying situation. Substitutes for real life are everywhere: Liquor sales are up more than 75 percent over the same time last year, since all bars are closed. Missing cafes, I’ve been sure to stock up on fancy-ish coffee beans; sure enough, even the oat milk that you used to get in a cappuccino is now seeing sales growth of over 500 percent, according to Nielsen. Mirror, an at-home virtual-gym portal, is going through a boom in sales and class attendance as an IRL gym replacement.

Even when consumers need to buy simple necessities, there’s a materialist tendency to seek out the nicest, best versions that we possibly can. And if the best isn’t available, some people get frustrated. Steve Sando is the founder of Rancho Gordo, a seller of heritage beans grown in Mexico. A few weeks ago, he announced that Rancho Gordo wouldn’t be fulfilling orders to its Bean Club — a group of subscribers who get quarterly shipments of rare bean varieties — because of an inundation of quarantine-related new orders. Orders went from around 200 a day to consistently over 1,000. Some Bean Clubbers got mad. “One guy said, ‘You’re reprehensible, Bean Club is what made you and you won’t be loyal to us,’” Sando told me.

He understands why they’re upset. “A well-stocked pantry means you’re in control. You can’t control what’s around you but you can control what your family’s gonna eat.” Still, Sando said, “We had a great harvest this year, there’s no point in hoarding them.” The Bean Club beans are already set aside; it’s just going to take more time to ship them out to customers. “My staff’s sanity is more important than anything,” Sando said. Rather than trying to push output, he is spreading out workers in the factory and has hired more for a new second daily shift.

The same thing is happening to seed companies like Baker Creek, a seller of heirloom seeds in Missouri (heirloom seeds are marketed as more genetically diverse and longer-lasting than their industrial counterparts). Jere Gettle started the company in 1998. Y2K caused a growth spike and so did the financial crisis; right now he’s seeing double his usual volume of orders. On March 19, the company had to shut down its website to deal with the overflow. Still, they’re getting emails from aggrieved first-time customers asking if their seeds will get shipped. “People are afraid,” Gettle said. “I don’t blame them on this one.”

Even the content of the orders is coronavirus-influenced. There’s an emphasis on “things that are rich in vitamins and minerals; people want to grow healthy food,” he said. But, “we’ve seen a decrease in sales from Chinese varieties.” Gettle attributed that to customers’ association of coronavirus with China; the perceived risk is, as he said, obviously “not logical.”

Worrying about which brand of seed, bean, pull-up bar, or television to buy is an indulgence when so many people can’t afford to stay home in the first place. Quarantine purchases might be less about the actual product than some vestige of conspicuous consumption, the need to project your class identity as a response to insecurity. Our jobs aren’t the same, our social lives aren’t the same, but the appeal of maintaining a high-status image remains.

That these products are in such high demand makes sense, according to Wharton professor Nikolai Roussanov. “I think conspicuous consumption has evolved in the era of social media, so that you can still show things off even under quarantine,” Roussanov said. “Objects that were once classified as less visible, like home furnishings, become more so when everyone is stuck at home and interacts with each other over videoconference and social media.” The coronavirus could actually end up intensifying the retail market for upscale domestic products. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see an uptick in luxury durables that are used inside the home if social isolation measures continue,” he went on.

The composition of our shopping has changed, though the overall scale of consumption may not have, according to Homa Zarghamee, a professor of economics at Barnard. “We’re buying things that are not what we were buying three weeks ago, and not buying things we were buying three weeks ago.” Groceries instead of restaurants; loungewear instead of suits. Zarghamee observed it herself with video games: “The night before the quarantine started in New York, the line at the GameStop in Harlem was around the corner.” There’s a real sense of urgency at play. “It’s not totally clear that buying sooner isn’t better than buying later for yourself,” Zarghamee continued. “It’s also unclear what you would be buying in the future and whether the prices are going to be reasonable.” Maybe the TV was a good purchase after all. It’s certainly getting a lot of use.

Pursuing your hedonic motivations during quarantine is always going to benefit yourself more than other people. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be made more equitable. Zarghamee told me that an individual’s impact on the possibility of a recession is limited, so that’s not an excuse for shopping more. What’s actually impactful is thinking about which businesses you want to survive. “There’s an obvious need to support the ones that are going to help in the near future,” Zarghamee said. Amazon will be just fine. If you need to splash money around, do it at a local bookstore, boutique, or deli that’s moved online. It’ll make you feel more in control just the same.

I've used the COVID-19 information posts from the government as an inspiration to design the app, I used this design because it is recognisable and connected to rules and the law.

the post corona society

During home quarantaine my moods began switching I felt nervous and anxious and I wanted that everything would be normal again.... So i was looking at things that would satisfy my needs and boredom; I started online Shopping- Fast Fashion

-The filled database will be explored, used and researched by students through self-created algorithms.

- Exploring a specific topic found in the database

- These topics, and their self-created algorithms= contextualise their post-corona society.

-Students will present their process, algorithm and contextualize their view on the post-corona society through their personal hotglue website. These websites is also used during the final assessments.

Final goal:

- learning to create our own data, database + algorithm
-learning how to use data, databases and algorithms as storytelling tools
-Students will learn how to use data, databases and algorithms as ways to think about a post-corona society.

Collecting data: Each student collects 50 (textual) data items related to their personal corona experiences over the course of 5 days. So, every day you will be collecting 10 data items.

Create a database: As group you will create one big database filled with the (textual) items.

Create an algorithm: The filled database will be explored, used and researched by students through self-created algorithms. With these algorithms you are asked to explore a specific niche found in the database. These niches, and their self-created algorithms, are used to contextualise their post-corona society.

-I wanted to make the data set personal so I decided to use my text messages as a starting point

Coronavirus Survey: 43% of Americans Admit to 'Comfort Buying' While social Distancing

With the outcome of the Database I want to make the people aware of where they should buy their products, if they even need the product and if it is eco-friendly and produced locally. We need to make sure that the Dutch economy is still profitable and that the smaller companies will survive during COVID-19. This algorithm is produced by the government so they need to pay less surcharges.

Looking at the big Data base I was interested in The purchases that people did and what kind of emotion they would get while doing the purchase, I was curious if the amount and time had a specific reason for their emotions and what kind of products or services they would buy during COVID-19. This interest began with my own expierences

Looking at my purchase database there were some remarkable things:

1.The primair and necessary products gave the
most negative emotions when buying.
2.The higher the purchase the more satisfied the
people were. The value of luxury isn't changed
and people want to show their status, and that
they are still financially independent.
3.Making purchases because you are bored of
COVID-19
4.Almost all purchases were either fast fashion
or food.

5.The urge to buy something even when you
don't need it.
6.Most of the purchases were still done offline,
you would expect that this would be shifted to
online. The reason is that people want to go
outside and do something nice to forget the
Coronavirus.
7.People can't get grip on the coronavirus but
can get grip on what they buy.
8.People are buying more fast-fashion and
crossing their own values because of self-pity.

By Kyle Chayka Apr 3, 2020, 10:10am EDT

!people are buying products thats get them exited for when the virus is over, the problem is that they don't now what will happen with the economy when the virus is over and that they should save all their money for a big reccesion!

the post corona society

I decided to make an app, because nowadays everyone has a smartphone and it's an easy way to receive information and to collect information from the users.

when you walk in a store there will be a pop-up screen that leads you to a specific algorithm. This algorithm will make you aware to make less purchases and only spent your money on necessary and locally produces products so it will stimulate the smaller Dutch economy. when you walk out the store the app can see if you did any purchases and change the emotion meter that indicates if you are doing well or need to buy less.

In the post corona society people need to rethink their purchases because we will never know when their will be a new epidemic or crisis. They will buy more local and support the Dutch economy. It will be a lot harder to do comfort shopping because of the app created by the government.

How to control online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic
ABC Life / By Samantha Turnbull

One karaoke machine, a ping pong table, nose hair scissors, four jigsaw puzzles, six scented candles and a kite: Add to cart. Is COVID-19 coinciding with some kooky online purchasing behaviour in your house? You're not alone. Even those of us in precarious financial circumstances may find ourselves burying heads in sand for a little binge-spending made possible by 'buy now, pay later' schemes.

Melissa Gulbin is a communications manager working from her Lismore home in northern New South Wales, where she has found herself spending more time than usual "bargain hunting" online. She's bought a loom, a vintage sewing pattern for men's overalls, a German board game, and has a skateboard on the way. "I also bought myself a heap of art supplies and saxophone reeds thinking that I could use the time to become the artist and virtuoso I always wanted to be," Melissa says. "But the reality is I didn't actually have much more spare time. I'm still working from home and 'homeschooling', and to be honest I've had a hard time just getting by and addressing my mental health, which is where the loom comes in. "Weaving has been used as a form of meditation in most cultures forever. There is no ego, just the repetition, breathing and being in the present." Melissa admits to a tad of buyer's remorse over the German board game, but she's trying not to beat herself up, and gently pulling back on her spending.

When to worry about online spending
Josette Freeman is the national program co-ordinator with SMART Recovery — a free program that helps people with problematic and addictive behaviours. She says shopping is a common way for people to cope with anxiety. "If you suffer from anxiety, this [the coronavirus pandemic] is going to exacerbate it," Ms Freeman says. "The majority of people need some order in their lives, but order has gone out of our lives right now and no-one knows what the future is going to hold. That's very unsettling for a lot of people. "If your bent is shopping it may be because it's something to do, it's short-term pleasure, it's self-soothing, but it can also have long-term consequences when you have to pay for these things." Kylie Holford is deputy chair of the Financial Counsellors Association of NSW. She says we need to be especially careful as the country faces economic uncertainty. "Without dramatising things too much, in six months we might not be going back to how things were prior to COVID-19," she says. "The economy might take longer to pick up and there might be under-employment. So we need to be mindful that while we're encouraged to live in the moment and seize the day, we also need to look forward and try to protect ourselves."

Avoiding online shopping fails
Woman with her laptop and illustration of shopping cart coming out of screen to depict avoiding online impulse shopping.
For all the ease online shopping offers, sometimes it can feel like there's an endless maze of choice and marketing. Here's how to stay focused and avoid becoming overwhelmed.

Create a budget
If you do want to rein in your online shopping, or at least buy a little more mindfully, Ms Holford's first tip is creating a budget. "I know it sounds boring, but it's the perfect activity if you're stuck at home," she says. "Know what your budget really is, know the difference between your needs and your wants, and figure out what surplus money you have (if any) and what you can actually afford to spend."

Beware of 'buy now, pay later' and loans
If you've lost your income, or you're facing job insecurity, Ms Holford says it's also important to steer clear of 'buy now, pay later' and loan schemes which let us continue to shop despite our circumstances. "There might be no interest, but there are fees and charges if you don't pay back in due time," she says. "It's often our most vulnerable people who don't particularly understand contracts, interest, fees and charges … and the people who own these schemes are multimillionaires making a fortune out of the most vulnerable people."

Recognise your triggers and plan ahead
Ms Freeman says if you've got a history of excessive shopping, it's worth examining your motivations. "Look at your triggers, why are you reacting the way you do, and think about the consequences," she says. "If you're having a bad day, the kids are yelling, your belief might be that you deserve to go shopping online for half an hour because it's a reward. "The consequence might be spending $500 you don't really have. "The triggers won't change, but you can think differently about how you handle them." You can plan for those triggers by finding alternative ways to enjoy yourself, Ms Freeman says. "If you are in a stressful situation, you do need to do enjoyable things — but try something that is meaningful to you like going for a walk, watching your favourite TV program, something that is doable and manageable," she says. "Be aware, particularly in these times that are very stressful, of what you are going to do when you start getting anxious, when negative thoughts come into your head and when you get the urge to shop."

Spend well
And if you've done all of the above, and you still want to add that loom to your cart (like Melissa), you might want to also try spending with kindness. "Choose Australian made, Australian owned, and buy as local as you can," Ms Holford says."Follow campaigns like #buyfromthebush, so if you're going to spend your splurge money you're doing it in a positive and meaningful way."

How to control online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic

Ideas for the algorithm
-Walking route in the store
-Poster
-Dance
-Painting
-App