8 Ways To Say No To Impules Buys...
Posted on
April 9, 2009
at
9:51 am
Time to reveal the secrets to shopping willpower to help you tone down the urge to splurge this year.Impulse purchases comprise a huge chunk of the retail business."Shopping can provide a pick me-up and make you feel more in charge of your life. A better idea :Take charge of your wallet by resisting the urge to splurge.Here's how: 1. Window - shop without money - Shopper's high comes from dopamine, a brain chemical that's emitted when you do something pleasurable - and it's especially potent when it exposes you to something new, To take the "newness " out of buying , window -shop first without your wallet . Then return to the store with a clearer head and some self-control.2. Don't make shopping a social thing - shoppers who hit the stores in groups of three or more made seven percent more impulsive purchases than those browsing alone or in pairs,according to research from Marketing Science Institute (MSI). Want company? Pick a friend who isn't a big shopper.3. Pay in Cash - Credit cards have way of fooling people into thinking they're not spending money, Cash, by contrast, is much more intimate and immediate. A recent Dun & Bradstreet survey found that people paying cash spent 12 percent to 18 percent less per shopping trip than those paying with credit.4. Pinpoint your triggers - Curb exposure to stores where you can't leave without buying something. " I have a hard time in bookstores , "says Garret. " So I set limits for myself "No more than two books at a time, and they have to be paperbacks . 5. Map the aisles - Your impulse purchases increase by 10 percent when you visit all instead of just some aisles , according to the MSI. Plan ahead by mapping out your shopping list, grouping items together according to how they're arranged in the store , and you're more likely to stay on track. 6. Distinguish between a want and a need - Most of our so-called needs are really wants that we're justifying, says Garrett. It's OK to have wants - if you do it wisely . If the item isn't a need, decide whether it's a practical but - unnecessary purchase or a luxury. If it's the former, try to fit it in you budget. For luxuries, adopt a rule of three , You can save towards three wants, If you find another want, strike one of the originals.7. Keep a shopping diary - Write down how you felt and everything you bought today. Do this daily for a couple of weeks and look for patterns: Do you get those muffins when you grocery shop hungry ? Do you go to the mall after a frustrating day at work? We tend to shop in order to regulate our emotions, explains Benson. When we're feeling really high or really low, we go to a familiar activity such as shopping to bring us back to our equilibrium. With a diary, you can recognize the state of mind that's likely to make you buy too much.8. Give yourself a cooling-off period - Take a stroll around the store while holding on to the item. Those stilettos will lose their luster if you give yourself 15 minutes to let that initial "oh!" feeling subside. If you want to take the plunge anyway, wait a week, says Garett. If you're motivated enough to go back for them seven days later, you must really want those pants.
|
