The Thrill of Shopping

There's times that I feel the need to just "buy" something.  Your mom has that urge too from time to time.  It can't be explained except that we're brought up in a society that encourages us to shop.  "It's good for the economy", they say.  Funny that every transaction (earning money, spending money) involves taxation of some sort.  The only type that doesn't, for the most part, is getting a refund.  That's where this cool tip comes in.

You know what commercials are, right?  And advertising?  And those e-mails that you get telling you that you need something to enrich your life?  That's all called marketing.  It's basically the concept that someone wants you to put your money into their hands.  So they'll tell you that you're not pretty enough, cool enough, fashionable enough, etc. in order to make that happen.  Eventually you feel "happier" or "better" by making a purchase.  Even a soda or a coffee purchase brings delight.

So how do you satisfy this trained craving without being poor?  The answer lies in the impulse.  When we go shopping, things feel "different".  A shirt or pair of pants may look really great in the store all the way up to the dressing room, but once we take it home it may sit in our closet, unused, for months.  It's okay to give in to these impulse purchases, but only on one condition: make sure it's returnable.

Things you buy online more than likely will be either unreturnable, or a complete hassle to return.  For that reason, try to restrict your online purchases to items that you know you want for certain, i.e. you already know it's your brand / size, or it could be some other item like a television or a book or DVD (if they still make those when you read this).  For your in-store purchases, keep your receipts and know your return policies.  Some stores state that you can't return items that are open (like video games, movies and music) while others may say "All Sales Final".  In 2007 we have the amazing store called Target, which allows returns for up to 45 days on most items, and the superior Costco which allows returns for up to 90 days on some items and unrestricted returns on others.

We try not to abuse the system.  Most of our returns are a result of realizing that we changed our mind, or we bought multiple types of items and decided which ones to keep later (see future post The More Flexible Decision).  For the most part we return items unused, despite what Uncle Matt probably keeps telling you about the infamous deep fryer.

Regardless, getting a refund is like "shopping for money".  Instead of giving money and taking home goods, you get to give goods and take home money.  Sort of how a plant breathes in the CO2 that we exhale, and vice versa... but not really.

Anyway, I recently went on a spending spree and plunked down over $800 in a single transaction, but ended up eventually returning everything two weeks later.  I got to feel the Thrill of Shopping, but I allowed myself an "out" in case I made a mistake, which I did.

Whatever you can extract from this, please do, but the basic point is, it's okay to impulse shop if you leaving yourself a way to fix it later if necessary.