Impulse Buying.

I walked into YEMYEM supermarket in school today and came out empty handed. I smiled as I walked away cos I didn’t get what I actually wanted and I did not buy any other thing. Why? I walked around the store and I said to myself, “Phumie, what you want is not available, you don’t need any other thing, just leave”, and I left.

As usual I got logical about it. The word that readily came to mind was “Impulse”

Many times we do things we ought not to have done if we had thought of it previously. After a while we sit down to replay what we did and realize if we had simply been patient and given it a second thought we wouldn’t have don’t it at all.  

I went further to get the definition of impulse and I came about the desired one that would suit my purpose on “about.com”.

It defined it as;

Behaviors that occur quickly without control, planning, or consideration of the consequences.

Then my curiosity grew and I went ahead to visit a lot of other pages, then I realized what a big deal it is to be impulsive. However in our daily lives we don’t think of that word at all.

Impulsive is a big word with emotion and shopping.

Understand me we have impulsive behavior due to emotional issues such as jealousy, anger, insecurity or fear. However I am not talking on this area.

However, my thots wandered on impulse shopping. The earlier definition I got from “about.com” still suffices for it.

I would start with a little supermarket close to my office. When I started doing there I would go with my purse. I probably planned to buy toiletries, about one or two items and I come back with a full nylon on the long run. Why? I get there and I start seeing things I wanted at a time but was not available and before I blink twice its already in my basket. Why? Simply because I took my purse and it contains more money.  After a while I started going without my purse. It worked cos I will buy only what the cash at hand was initially budgeted for. When I see what I like, I won’t have the urge to pick it cos the money is not with me and I wouldn’t want to go back to the office to pick cash and start heading back. Infact by the time I get to the office the zeal has died down.

Now move up to more expensive items where I would have to use the POS to purchase and tell me what I would do? Pin typed account debited and Gbam, money spent.

I am a bit guilty of it but I started making conscious effort to stop it. I only plan before buying.

You might see yourself as not guilty but think of it. It starts from gala and yoghurt in traffic. Dinner is waiting at home oh but that worm in your tummy has to be satisfied. I feel you.

We have loads of people that furnish their house inside traffic. Everything is purchased. Once we spot the sales boys in traffic we buy sharp sharp. Those guys sell everything sellable these days. I have seen things and plenty things in traffic.

Don’t get me wrong not all impulse behavior is bad. There are moments when impulse behavior comes in handy, but more often than not it gets you into trouble.

It’s a drain on your pocket, it’s an out of budget expense and what do you expect from that? It eventually pushes more important things off your budget.

Just a couple of weeks back, when I started nursing the idea to buy my netbook, I got an advise from Zubbie, I quote “wait till next week before you buy, then before you set out, check if you still have as much zeal as you had last week, at that moment you know whether you really still want it or not”. It kind of worked; the zeal didn’t die after one week ,I missed not having it every single day!! So I went ahead to buy. If the zeal had died I wouldn’t have bothered because what he told me actually made so much sense.  However the zeal theory (that’s what I named it already) won’t work for some people. Why? The zeal won’t die until they have that item in their hands and after a couple of hours or a few days they find out it isn’t such a big deal after all. Then it’s too late and your money is gone.

If we had the opportunity to sum up the impulse purchases we do in a year, I am quite sure we would be shocked and immediately imagine what tangible thing that sum would have done.

So I went further to see what few ways I have tried to control my impulse buying;

• -          I withdraw cash for the week and leave my ATM at home. If I need emergency fund, I know I would have to go across the counter at the bank if it’s so important.
• -          Stop, pause and apply the zeal theory.
• -          Sleep in traffic. Funny abi? Actually, I meant close my eyes to things I see in traffic. They keep staring at me, I know, I don’t stare back.
• -          When going shopping especially in those big stores like ShopRite, I take the exact money for the planned purchase. If possible I don’t go with my ATM, because chances are that I will buy more. Those people are smart. They have petty items at the counter and they even make sure you spend your leftover change there.
• -          A major source of impulse is from online buying. Those adverts keep flashing when you go on webpages. The truth is that they are more expensive than in the open market. The pictures make them look flashy and original but it’s all part of marketing. Unsubscribe from those daily mails. I used to receive daily deals from ‘deal dey” I quietly clicked unsubscribe one morning cos the deals always look too attractive.
• -          I try as much as possible to avoid going shopping with other people. If it’s so necessary, I empty my pocket and leave my ATM.
• -          Most importantly, if you can’t afford to buy something you only eye it and leave. So I assume I can’t afford it. I tune in the mindset that it’s too expensive and you would hear me say haaaa when I see the price tag.

Well, not like I still don’t buy impulsively, I have managed to reduce it to the barest minimum and I will continue to explore more options to kill it finally.

Thank God for my resolution to stop taking sugar, I can empty my pocket to get Maltesers and any type of Ginger Biscuits. Now I am in control. God continue to help me.

Well, like I always say, I am not always right. You can always buttress my point. *wink*

For the people who scroll down to this point you can stop scrolling you are there already. lol.

I want time off work but I can’t get, I have to chill till July. Well, I chose it myself cos I thought the year would run fast, but now it’s kind of slow joor. July come quick.

It’s the Easter week already; I didn’t realize that until I saw some kids with palm leaves and then it occurred to me tomorrow is Palm Sunday. I need to figure it out in the next few days what is really going to happen. It’s all choked up.

Happy married life to Debola’s friends. Those dimples are lovely. I like. It’s the really the year of plenty weddings o! * walking quietly* wink*

Bibi, where are you? Come out of hiding joor.TY1 & TY2 still MIA, kilode?

KT, a big hug for you. I am happy you got this easily. Mwaaah.

I am trying to learn the APA reference style, actually the 6th Edition. Do you know what I mean by that? I wish I could submit one of my blog posts as my project. I am tired of it. Doesn’t seem as interesting as I thought. Infact, it’s not interesting at all. I have just one year to do it all and I am still stalling as at now*sobs*

Enjoy your weekend peeps and please remember the reason for the season is that Jesus died for our sins. Make it worth it.

‡Zingerthots‡