"The root of all suffering is desire"
Consumerism is a subclass of this, as is achievement. Often the two are combined where buying supports the sense of achievement. Accumulation is likely ingrained into us, we have just extended it past developing useful skills and into irrelevant past times.
Knowing the price of everything, but experiencing the value of nothing. I think this is what happens when community ties break down. You get more freedom to define things for yourself, but tend to find those declarations to be rather fleeting and insecure.