Word for people who buy things because they are more expensive/ for the brand

Question

Is there a word for people who buys things because they are more expensive or because they are specific brand or label?

These people don't buy the items because they are higher quality. They buy them because they want others to think they are "cool." These people can often hardly afford such items and this money could be better spent on other items.

This is opposed to other people who might buy more expensive things because they are of better quality. (Who would rarely buy popular brands because their prices are inflated simply because they are popular.)

Answer 1

People who only buy things made by famous labels are often called brand conscious. People who buy things because they are high quality are called quality conscious. I would use brand conscious also for people who buy things solely because they are expensive (I believe they are largely the same set of people). You certainly can't use the word price conscious because that means people who buy things because they are inexpensive.

If you are looking for a less descriptive and less neutral term, you could call these people snobs.

Answer 2

I've heard label whore and brand whore used to describe such people.

Both from urban dictionary:

brand whore Someone who buys and prominantly displays name brand products (or products that feature large corporate logos) under the belief that such loyalty to a label or corporation is a chachet and brings prestige to their otherwise lack of taste, regardless of the actual quality or value of the products.

label whore A label whore is someone who only wears brand name clothes, with the name of the brand usually placed somewhere for all to see. A walking advertisement for a clothing store or brand.

Answer 3

Some terms originating from economics and marketing are luxury shoppers and conspicuous consumers. A term for the phenomenon itself is conspicuous consumption.

While browsing Wikipedia, I encountered a couple related terms from economics for the items themselves. Veblen goods are items for which demand increases as price increases. Positional goods are products which are valued for their desirability to others (more than their value in and of themselves.)

Answer 4

They’re called Veblen goods. I don’t know about about for people who act on this principle. The words rich and gullible come to mind but I believe you’re looking for Veblen.

Answer 5

Whilst no strong word comes to mind, fetishist might apply, in reference to Commodity Fetishism. Otherwise I can only think of words that describe the sort of person(ality) that would make such action, such as vain, or shallow.

Answer 6

My 20 year old daughter uses the word bougie.

informal + usually disparaging : marked by a concern for wealth, possessions, and respectability : bourgeois

What I don't get is the middle class reference: bourgeois. I have always thought that "middle class" was (mostly) synonymous with the phrase "deferred gratification".

Answer 7

I would say materialistic fits.

Answer 8

I'm sure a quick search of the definitions of mental illnesses will be helpful. Its worse when a person talks about how broke they are just to turn around and buy a new car. The decision to buy the car was done by one area of the brain(illogical subconscious side) while the other side (logical conscious side) can only complain about being broke since decisions only go through the other side. repeated behavior or habits are made subconsciously so the conscious can be free for other things but if the majority of decisions are made by the subconscious then that would become the default decision maker. It's the same thing with suicides, the conscious will preserve life but if the subconscious' world ends(break up, fired, lost house of their dreams) then the answer is normally suicide. Which could happen without any warning at all to anybody.