9 Insane Facts About How Much Americans LOVE to Shop!

If you're wondering if you can actually make a living selling online, here's some facts that will blow your mind! Even after 15+ years as a full-time online seller, I was shocked by the majority of these:

The average American woman makes over 300 trips to the store every year, spending close to 400 hours a year shopping. This is equal to approximately 8.5 years spent shopping during a typical lifespan!! (NY Daily News)
Americans spend more on accessories (specifically shoes, jewelry, and watches) than on college / education. (Psychology Today)
There are more shopping malls than high schools in America. (Affluenza)
In America, ⅓ of citizens shop online at least once per week! You can absolutely put me in this category! (Mintel)
Free Shipping is a huge upsell! Half of all shoppers will buy more to get it shipped for free if free shipping has a minimum purchase requirement. (Mintel) I can add something to this fact - as statistics show, charging for shipping is a huge turnoff and is the top reason for a buyer deciding not to make a purchase.
Gone are the days of Barbie. American girls, age 13-18, said “shopping” is their favorite hobby. . (Adweek)
Over ⅓ of adults and teens said shopping made them feel better than going to the gym! (Yahoo)
This is crazy, but according to HuffPo, the average American throws away 65lbs of clothing annually. (Huffington Post)
Half of Americans will go shopping on Black Friday. (Syracuse)