There was an older couple at a stationery supply store where the woman walked over to a display and saw lined paper, 250 sheets for 26 cents. "We should definitely buy some of this" she told her husband."But don't we have a whole pile of it at home?" he asked her.
"Yes," she answered as she was loading up her cart, "But you can never have too much paper".
Well, actually, yes you can. Even those who feel that they are smart consumers with their spending in control find that once in a while they are bringing shopping bags home with the oddest things.
Why do people buy stuff they don't need? Why do you but stuff you don't need? Here are 7 answers and some of them just might surprise you.
A sale sign is like a shining beacon to many of us, doesn't matter what type of store we are in if we see that sale sign we have to check it out. You might have walked into the hardware store to buy a screen for your back door and walked out with a set of wrenches because they were marked 50% off, doesn't matter is you already have two sets of wrenches at home, at 50% off how could you pass a deal like that. It probably goes back to our ancestry as we moved from a hunter society to a gather society, deep down in our psyche we are meant to squirrel away supplies that we might need, our previous survival depended on it. But as in many other things in life sometimes we just have to resist the urge.
Situation 1.
There are times in our life when we are actively seeking out items that we feel we desperately need. A teenage girl needs a certain purse to complement her prom dress, a young mother is looking for curtains for the baby's room, you absolutely need a small travel bag for your vacation. As you are searching through all the options you become very familiar with the prices of the items and the different quality before you buy. Years latter when it is no longer needed, that teenage girl, young mother or you come across the item again unexpectedly and, omigosh, it's the top of the line model that you had really wanted but couldn't afford at the time and it is 75% off! You know it is valuable, you know you are getting a good deal and you know that you no longer need it, but you still buy it. Why? Because you recognise the value and you want to take advantage of that value.
Situation 2.
You've walked past a bin of wooden toy that are marked 35 cents each or 3 for a dollar. You've seen this sort of wooden toy in high end shops selling for almost $8 each! That was years ago and probably this type of thing is out of fashion or they're in this bin because no one bought them in the first place. Now they're really not to your taste because they are all a bit weird looking but they're toys and toys shouldn't go to waste. You feel as if you have to rescue them, if you don't buy them then what is going to happen to them.
Situation 3.
It's been a really rotten week and you need some retail therapy. There is a clothing store that is having a sale and it is absolutely stuffed with people. There has to be something there that you would like and after looking for 45 minutes you find a shirt that is OK. It's only $4, besides $4 isn't much if you don't like it and everyone else hear seems to be finding stuff to buy. You don't want to feel left out of getting a deal.
Situation 4.
You have checked out all the prices, comparison shopped from store to store and you know you have the money in the bank to buy X . So you go out and buy it, and then happen to leave the store with two bags of unplanned purchases because you figured why you were there you would take a look around to see what else they had. After spending all that time deliberating on the one purchase your mind turned off and you just kept buying, it's called "shopping momentum." Buying one item has signaled you to keep buying.
Situation 5.
You're just out browsing when you enter a store that has a bunch of interesting looking stuff. A happy, good looking sales person greets you and starts chatting and has to show you what's new in the store. You laugh together, they demonstrate their new product line and then look at you hopefully. You were not planning on buying anything but you guess this is nice and you don't want to disappoint the sales person and waste their time.
Situation 6.
Everyone has ranted and raved about this great outlet mall about a 45 minute drive away so you plan to go there for a Saturday morning. Once you get there you it takes you an hour to walk around the whole place but there is nothing that you really want. You know that it will take you another 45 minutes to drive home which means you have just spent 2 1/2 hours and will be walking out of there with nothing. There has to be something in here that you want or else you have nothing to show for your mornings effort. So you buy something so you haven't wasted your time.
Situation 7.
Like the older couple at the beginning of this piece you are at a stationery supply store and see lined paper on sale for 26 cents for 250 sheets. You know this is a great price because you bought 10 packs of lined paper at 35 cents for 250 sheets last year and it is all still stacked up in your hallway closet because you have absolutely no use for it. But it is a staple and it is such a good price and you are sure you will use it eventually.
When you are reading these they all see like rather silly reasons to spend your hard earned cash but they also might be explaining the bad spending habits that you have.
1.Buying something that you had needed in the past but don't need now is trying to re-live a experience so you have a better out come than the first time. But that time has past, life has moved on and you should leave the item for some one who really does need it and be happy for them that they will be getting such a good bargain.
2.If you feel that you have to rescue items and you buy things for that reason you might have a hoarding problem. Stuff does not need rescuing, puppies, kittens, teens in trouble do. Do not ever assign "feelings" to stuff, if an item has been produced that the public does not want that is a strong indicator to the manufacturer that it should never have been produced in the first place. If you have a strong need to rescue things consider volunteering for an animal shelter.
3. Just because everyone else is finding a deal in a store doesn't mean you are going to. You are not being left out, it just means the store has nothing you want.
4.Shopping momentum is a real problem for some people. They know all the rules about comparison shopping and they do their homework but once they decide to buy one thing then the flood gates just open and it seems as if they can not stop. If this is happening to you all the time then go into the store, buy your item, pay for it and take it to your car. Return to the store to look around and you will find that you probably won't want to open your wallet again. If this doesn't work then you have a mission just to get into the store and out again with only that one item.
5.Buying things because you don't want to disappoint the sales person or waste their time is more common that most people would like to admit. That's why sales people are there, they know that this happens. Stores are more likely to sell more items when the public deals with sales people. Sales people have tricks up their sleeves on how to manipulate you into buying, their livelihood depends on it. You are not disappointing them, you are not wasting their time, this is their job and they know that they will not be selling to every single person that walks in through the doors.
6.Buying something so you feel that you have not wasted your time. Well, now you have wasted your money, which means that you will have to spend more time working to make that money up again. When bargain shopping not every outing will snag you a deal. If you feel that you have to get something out of every outing then maybe you should incorporate your bargain hunting with another activity. If you are traveling to another area see what free events or historic sights might be around for you to enjoy. Pack your self a lunch and if your shopping trip doesn't pan out you have something else to look forward to.
7.You can overstock yourself on staples. Doesn't matter if it is toilet paper, canned goods, or writing paper don't stock more than a years worth unless you have a system and then don't stock for more than 2 years worth. What is a system you ask? Some people are organized enough that they have shelving systems were they rotate food, dried goods and keep a inventory. If you are not organized and are stuffing your goods in any nook or cranny you can then stop buying this stuff. Every thing goes bad after a while. You are not going to eat canned good when you can't remember if you bought it last year or 7 years ago. Paper goods can pick up odd odors from musty basements or being stored with strong cleaning products. They can also be ruined by insects and vermin looking for bedding material.
If you know what your personal buying habits are then you can change them. We all pick items that when we bring them home wonder what we were thinking at the time, admit your mistake to yourself imedietely and pin point what made you buy it at the time. Remember that many places will accepts returns for cash or exchange if you keep your receipt. For those things that you can't exchange then decide if you want to put them in your gift stash or if they are not suitable for that then maybe donate them to a local charity. If you continue to buy things that you don't need even when you realize what you are doing then maybe you have a more serious shopping addiction or you are using your shopping to distract yourself from other things in your life that need your attention. You can stop wasting your time and money and stop buying stuff you don't need.
Photography and Content
Copyright Ingrid Talpak 2009
Morestylethancash
Situation 1.
There are times in our life when we are actively seeking out items that we feel we desperately need. A teenage girl needs a certain purse to complement her prom dress, a young mother is looking for curtains for the baby's room, you absolutely need a small travel bag for your vacation. As you are searching through all the options you become very familiar with the prices of the items and the different quality before you buy. Years latter when it is no longer needed, that teenage girl, young mother or you come across the item again unexpectedly and, omigosh, it's the top of the line model that you had really wanted but couldn't afford at the time and it is 75% off! You know it is valuable, you know you are getting a good deal and you know that you no longer need it, but you still buy it. Why? Because you recognise the value and you want to take advantage of that value.
Situation 2.
You've walked past a bin of wooden toy that are marked 35 cents each or 3 for a dollar. You've seen this sort of wooden toy in high end shops selling for almost $8 each! That was years ago and probably this type of thing is out of fashion or they're in this bin because no one bought them in the first place. Now they're really not to your taste because they are all a bit weird looking but they're toys and toys shouldn't go to waste. You feel as if you have to rescue them, if you don't buy them then what is going to happen to them.
Situation 3.
It's been a really rotten week and you need some retail therapy. There is a clothing store that is having a sale and it is absolutely stuffed with people. There has to be something there that you would like and after looking for 45 minutes you find a shirt that is OK. It's only $4, besides $4 isn't much if you don't like it and everyone else hear seems to be finding stuff to buy. You don't want to feel left out of getting a deal.
Situation 4.
You have checked out all the prices, comparison shopped from store to store and you know you have the money in the bank to buy X . So you go out and buy it, and then happen to leave the store with two bags of unplanned purchases because you figured why you were there you would take a look around to see what else they had. After spending all that time deliberating on the one purchase your mind turned off and you just kept buying, it's called "shopping momentum." Buying one item has signaled you to keep buying.
Situation 5.
You're just out browsing when you enter a store that has a bunch of interesting looking stuff. A happy, good looking sales person greets you and starts chatting and has to show you what's new in the store. You laugh together, they demonstrate their new product line and then look at you hopefully. You were not planning on buying anything but you guess this is nice and you don't want to disappoint the sales person and waste their time.
Situation 6.
Everyone has ranted and raved about this great outlet mall about a 45 minute drive away so you plan to go there for a Saturday morning. Once you get there you it takes you an hour to walk around the whole place but there is nothing that you really want. You know that it will take you another 45 minutes to drive home which means you have just spent 2 1/2 hours and will be walking out of there with nothing. There has to be something in here that you want or else you have nothing to show for your mornings effort. So you buy something so you haven't wasted your time.
Situation 7.
Like the older couple at the beginning of this piece you are at a stationery supply store and see lined paper on sale for 26 cents for 250 sheets. You know this is a great price because you bought 10 packs of lined paper at 35 cents for 250 sheets last year and it is all still stacked up in your hallway closet because you have absolutely no use for it. But it is a staple and it is such a good price and you are sure you will use it eventually.
When you are reading these they all see like rather silly reasons to spend your hard earned cash but they also might be explaining the bad spending habits that you have.
1.Buying something that you had needed in the past but don't need now is trying to re-live a experience so you have a better out come than the first time. But that time has past, life has moved on and you should leave the item for some one who really does need it and be happy for them that they will be getting such a good bargain.
2.If you feel that you have to rescue items and you buy things for that reason you might have a hoarding problem. Stuff does not need rescuing, puppies, kittens, teens in trouble do. Do not ever assign "feelings" to stuff, if an item has been produced that the public does not want that is a strong indicator to the manufacturer that it should never have been produced in the first place. If you have a strong need to rescue things consider volunteering for an animal shelter.
3. Just because everyone else is finding a deal in a store doesn't mean you are going to. You are not being left out, it just means the store has nothing you want.
4.Shopping momentum is a real problem for some people. They know all the rules about comparison shopping and they do their homework but once they decide to buy one thing then the flood gates just open and it seems as if they can not stop. If this is happening to you all the time then go into the store, buy your item, pay for it and take it to your car. Return to the store to look around and you will find that you probably won't want to open your wallet again. If this doesn't work then you have a mission just to get into the store and out again with only that one item.
5.Buying things because you don't want to disappoint the sales person or waste their time is more common that most people would like to admit. That's why sales people are there, they know that this happens. Stores are more likely to sell more items when the public deals with sales people. Sales people have tricks up their sleeves on how to manipulate you into buying, their livelihood depends on it. You are not disappointing them, you are not wasting their time, this is their job and they know that they will not be selling to every single person that walks in through the doors.
6.Buying something so you feel that you have not wasted your time. Well, now you have wasted your money, which means that you will have to spend more time working to make that money up again. When bargain shopping not every outing will snag you a deal. If you feel that you have to get something out of every outing then maybe you should incorporate your bargain hunting with another activity. If you are traveling to another area see what free events or historic sights might be around for you to enjoy. Pack your self a lunch and if your shopping trip doesn't pan out you have something else to look forward to.
7.You can overstock yourself on staples. Doesn't matter if it is toilet paper, canned goods, or writing paper don't stock more than a years worth unless you have a system and then don't stock for more than 2 years worth. What is a system you ask? Some people are organized enough that they have shelving systems were they rotate food, dried goods and keep a inventory. If you are not organized and are stuffing your goods in any nook or cranny you can then stop buying this stuff. Every thing goes bad after a while. You are not going to eat canned good when you can't remember if you bought it last year or 7 years ago. Paper goods can pick up odd odors from musty basements or being stored with strong cleaning products. They can also be ruined by insects and vermin looking for bedding material.
If you know what your personal buying habits are then you can change them. We all pick items that when we bring them home wonder what we were thinking at the time, admit your mistake to yourself imedietely and pin point what made you buy it at the time. Remember that many places will accepts returns for cash or exchange if you keep your receipt. For those things that you can't exchange then decide if you want to put them in your gift stash or if they are not suitable for that then maybe donate them to a local charity. If you continue to buy things that you don't need even when you realize what you are doing then maybe you have a more serious shopping addiction or you are using your shopping to distract yourself from other things in your life that need your attention. You can stop wasting your time and money and stop buying stuff you don't need.
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Photography and Content
Copyright Ingrid Talpak 2009
Morestylethancash
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