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Impulse Buying

This term is oft used by economists and media to declare shopper behavior - esp stateside. You would think that with the preponderence of impluses we would be an impulse addicted nation. Perhaps it would not be too wrong to qualify us as such.

A recent mini helicopter purchase on my part was such an impulse buy - the act of fulfilling a wish (typically a sudden one). I saw the salesman demonstrating the many fine qualities of this piece of miniature engineering genius at a crowded mall no less within the tight confines of available real estate.

I decided to try this mind numbing activity by procuring a device myself. So what is this sudden brain chemistry altering activity that drives people to do what they do? Perhaps it is the act of our tired (or addicted) brains being at their most vulnerable seeking out a soothing experience. Many folks in the US tend to use shopping as a literal escape from their otherwise 'consuming' lifestyle.

Stores have often used a variety of techniques from attractively priced 'dill pickles' to tennis balls to mini helicopters to lure the shopper into the store and then slam them with other products that they had no clue about but nonetheless ended up carting home. I remember one of my old boss telling me about his wife who had 3 woks, 2 waffle makers (one was extra large); and an assortment of clocks and candles that she had amassed last christmas alone and did not know why they were in the house.

Ha - even if the euro collapsed I am sure we Americans will pull the world out of its funk - buying the next velvety sweat pants or that 80" flat screen TV - ya pretty soon there will be personal drive ins in America - you drive up to the house and start watching TV (its so big it has to be parked on the front yard).

Wanna watch a movie Sarkozy?

Comments

  1. RajendraDecember 11, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    Living in a drive-in theatre? It sure is an original idea.

    ReplyDelete

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