Across the United States, a growing number of websites are offering a novel form of entertainment: pretend shopping. Sites such as dopamine‑shop.com and foodnevercomes.com let users add items to a virtual cart, experience the thrill of checkout, and never spend a dime.
How the trend works
The concept originated in South Korea and has spread to Brazil, India and the United States. One platform, dopamineshopping.com, launched in June 2026, operates in 14 languages and reports having processed “more than 32,000 orders worth exactly nothing.” The founders describe the experience as “all the reward, none of the regret.”
Psychology behind the fake purchase
Media psychologist Pamela Rutledge of Newport Beach, California, calls the activity “online shopping karaoke,” a zero‑cost way to trigger the brain’s reward system. She explains that the dopamine surge comes not from receiving a product but from the anticipation of acquiring it.
Neuroscientist Nicole Prause, based in Los Angeles, adds that dopamine spikes during the search and selection phases of shopping. “The hunt itself is rewarding,” she says, noting that the brain’s reward circuitry differs when we imagine an item versus when we actually receive it.
Potential benefits for impulse shoppers
For people who tend to browse aimlessly on Thursday nights and end up buying unnecessary items, a fake cart may act as a “pause” button. Rutledge suggests that pretend shopping can satisfy an urge long enough for it to pass, creating friction between desire and purchase.
Research from Texas Tech University supports the idea that distance can reduce buying intent. Associate professor of marketing Deirdre Popovich found that items placed on a wish list were less likely to be purchased later, as shoppers reassessed their choices.
Limitations and concerns
Experts caution that pretend shopping is not a cure‑all. Rutledge notes that while a dopamine site might interrupt a spending habit, it does not address the underlying psychological need that makes shopping rewarding.
Popovich warns that for some compulsive shoppers, the activity could keep them in a constant state of wanting, potentially leading to more real purchases.
Trying it yourself
If you’re curious, you can run a personal experiment. Order a $50 sushi meal that never arrives, or add a pair of earbuds to a virtual cart, and observe whether the urge to spend diminishes.
Should the fake purchase fail to curb real‑world spending, consider alternative dopamine‑boosting activities. ADHD money coach Vanessa Dean recommends dancing, exercising, completing to‑do list items, picking up a new hobby, or taking a nature walk. She also points out that scrolling social media provides an easy dopamine hit, but it may not be as sustainable as offline pursuits.
What the future may hold
Rutledge believes the novelty of dopamine sites could fade without a constant stream of new content, much like social‑media platforms. At present, there is no solid evidence that reduced spending on these sites translates into lasting real‑world savings.
As the trend continues to evolve, consumers should monitor their own behavior and remain mindful of whether pretend shopping is helping or hindering their financial goals.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
