This post is dedicated to one of the most misused words in the English language – which makes it also one of my least favourite words, one that gets my back up and has the same effect to me as nails down a blackboard.
The definition of haul is quite clear. You either pull something along with force – hauling it behind you. Or you steal a large quantity of something – pirate treasure for example. Haul has never meant the aftermath of a shopping trip and the purchases you made.
So why is the world of social media now drowning in shopping hauls, baby hauls and sale hauls? Did all those people steal those products from the shops? Did you possess them illegally? No. They just went shopping.
The world of social media has turned into one where you can completely change the definition of a word and people follow like sheep. No longer can you just go to Tesco and do your weekly shop, no, you have to have a grocery haul. You can no longer go to the Next sale on Boxing Day and just go home with your bags of shopping. No, you have a Next sale haul.
Every day I log in to Bloglovin and scroll down my feed. Every day there is someone with a new haul – a new collection of products that they’ve purchased or maybe they’ve been sent them to review. They’re not a haul, they’re just things they’ve legitimately ended up with.
My issue isn’t that people share their shopping across their blogs and social media – although I will never find anything more boring than a video of someone unpacking their shopping. My issue is that we should have more respect for the English language.
Haul in this context sits right next to the people that use pacific instead of specific, stationary instead of stationery, are instead of our and the constant text message abbreviations in anything written.
The pacific is an ocean – specific is a precise detail. Stationary is not moving – stationery is pens and envelopes. Are is how something is, our is belonging to. And haul? Haul is something stolen – not a shopping trip.
Natalie Ray says
I totally agree. The other thing that annoys me is that I feel that ‘haul’ sounds a bit like they’ve got something for nothing when it’s a review, when in fact they should be working hard in return.x
Lindsay At Newcastle Family Life says
I love this ! I totally don’t get the whole ‘haul’ thing, I had never even heard of shopping hauls before I started blogging. I just don’t get it and totally agree that watching someone unpack a ‘ grocery haul’ sounds so boring. I skip past all the posts like these and then the empties post too , I don’t get them either xx
CAT CULMER says
Love this! I get the cringe every time I see it
Katy (What Katy Said) says
This made me laugh so much, totally agree and grrrr specific Pacific is one of the most annoying things ever! Oh and brought instead of bought- that one is something that means I click straight off a blog if I see it. So imagine if they said oh look at my shopping haul, I brought lots of lovely things. Haha we would both be fuming! x
Lauren says
I’ve just got back from the supermarket, and the ‘haul’ for me was dragging a trolley around it with two kids in the trolley seat and another clinging onto the back like a monkey.
That is how I’d define shopping haul. The act of shopping with several children in tow.
(in comparison my two bags of shopping and a giant bottle of Vimto were in no way difficult to drag into the car and get home).
Stylish Tom says
This certainly has given me something to think about! I always assumed it was a haul as it was lots of stuff so you are hauling it home, maybe that’s just me..!
Sarah says
I can safely say I have never watched a ‘haul’ vlog (in fact I very rarely watch vlogs at all but that’s an entirely different post!) I can just about see the point of one of clothes or sale shopping, but someone’s weekly grocery shop? I just don’t care! I have to say though the use of the word itself doesn’t actually bother me – words do evolve their meanings, that’s the nature of language. Using the wrong word entirely, like the Pacific/ specific thing, or brought/ bought is a different kettle of fish!
Amanda says
Haha I love this! It seems like some people will blog about anything, unless a person got something amazing at a wonderful bargain price, who gives a toss what anyone got on a shopping trip, as Suzanne says, it’s bragging and rather tacky.