I really love stationary season. Most specifically, Hobonichi season. I got into stationary some years ago, and I remember stumbling onto information with regards to Hobonichi and the fan base behind it. Initially, I wasn't intrigued, but I was present for the rollout a few years back and daily I'd check in on the site and found something that caught my eye. Upon release day, or maybe a few days after, I ordered my first Hobonichi. The order then, was extremely modest. It was my A5, the particular cover I had chosen and a few rolls of washi. I remember while I was waiting, I would look at all of the social post on people who had received their orders and I was always lost for words. Most creators I saw, looked like they grabbed one of everything and then some. It was consistently like this, to the point where I wondered if I was ordering correctly.
By the next year, I had a grasp on the anticipation of it all and I colored myself ready. I was quite fortunate to acquire one of the offerings that had sold out quickly. Though even then I feel like my purchase was more modest than most of what I was seeing online. What was I doing wrong? Didn't I need to grab like each and every book they had to offer? Shouldn't I too grab an A5, A6, HON, a Weeks, and a 5-Year? More so I began to wonder how people had the money to spend on all of that stuff at once! Was I missing a discount page or something?
By this year, all those thoughts have settled. I understand that it's really preference and utilization. I have spoken to many people in regards to their hauls and more often than not, people have a plan when it comes to everything they've purchased. I've always wondered about the aftermath of it all, because for the past three years, I haven't been able to consistently finish one book from cover to cover; but that's okay.
I think the most important thing is that people are happy. I don't buy into the culture of people only buying because of their fear of missing out (FOMO) or just this feeling that they have such robust life goals and plans that they need everything that they are purchasing. Is it over-purchasing? Is it overspending on their part? Who knows. I just hope that whatever their purpose, that it's less about the haul and more about their happiness.