Impulse buying?

Have you ever made a spur of the moment decision to buy something?

What is the most expensive purchase you made on Impulse!!!

I just booked a cruise. I wasn’t going away this year. Decided to do the bathroom instead then an offer caught my eye. Funnily enough the offer was not the deal I booked but there you go. I may buy on impulse but am I a little discerning too.

What is the definition of impulse buying?

“Spur of the moment, unplanned decision to buy, made just before a purchase. . “

Research suggests that emotions and feelings play a decisive role in purchasing, triggered by seeing the item in question or something showing the item. Perhaps even hearing a product described on the TV, or Radio.

Are we really this gullible?

“I don’t impulse buy”, I hear you say?

That is what you are saying right now, but stop and think. I know you have one of the those stupid gadgets that are supposed to make life easier stashed somewhere in a drawer or back of a cupboard where it has not seen the light of day since the day you brought it home. I would love to say this is not me but I do have a curly cucumber cutter that turns a cucumber into a spiral? Why? I have no idea… I also have a salad dicer, a super slicer, an egg poacher, a back scratcher, an egg slicer, a fondue set, a soda stream the list is endless…

Here are my explanations as to why we impulse buy.

1. The Buzz. We just love to shop. It gives us a great feeling to get something new. We buy it we talk about and we love to show it off.

2.   The limited offer. We have an inbuilt switch that does not want to lose out on a deal. Stores play on this with hurry offer ends soon, or limited period don’t miss out. It triggers this primeval urge not to lose out and we buy it.

3. The too good to miss offer. BOGOFF. No seriously I am not being rude. Buy one get one free and 3 for 2 offers have been used by supermarkets for some time to reel us in. But buyer beware check out the other products in the range as these deals are not always the best value and how many times have you got 3 for 2 and ended up throwing the 3^rd or even 2^nd and 3^rd items away as they have gone off or out of date.

4. Saving Money. When faced with being told there is a saving of £xxx’s on something it is often hard to resist the temptation to buy there and then. What if the deal ends and if it goes up by that amount you won’t be able to afford it. In reality as one deal ends usually something else takes it place. It is not always the case but don’t use this as an excuse to buy on impulse.

5. The sales person. As a sales person myself it is hard for me to say but a good sales person will paint a mental picture of what they are selling until slowly bit by bit you become blinded to other issues as you tell yourself you must have this item or holiday. The money was an issue but suddenly it does not seem such an issue any more. Time off? You did need to check with the boss but not anymore. A sales person with a killer instinct will home in on this and go for the kill and before you know it you have bought a car or a new dress with shoes and bag to match…

I have to say this is not my style I prefer the give the customer all the information they need approach and let them make an informed decision themselves, afterall if they need to know something else they will ask. However beware these sellers are out there waiting for unsuspecting victims.

Anyway. Back to the impulse buying…

Come on I want to hear it. What have you bought and what did it cost?

MY TOP TIP: Stop, think and go get a coffee. The item is not going anywhere in the next 20 minutes.

Weigh up the pros and cons and then make the decision that is right for you.