Bad shopping habits

[greentea]

Are there certain shopping habits that you see others doing that drives you crazy?

I was in the store the other day and there was one of those 10 for $10 displays and I watched this person put in ten of the items into her cart even though she was complaining that she didn't need that many. I tried to help out by explaining that she didn't have to buy 10 to get the $1 price for each of them, but she refused to believe me and I ended leaving deciding that it wasn't worth getting into a fight over.

[hamchan]

When I worked at Safeway in college I had a guy scream at me because he bought one six pack of soda that was buy one get one free and he expected it to be half price because he was only getting one.

The biggest bad shopping habit I see often if people buying things they really don't need and/or won't use just because it's on sale.

[disneysteve]

With the day almost upon us, I'd say Black Friday is the worst example of consumers gone mad.

[btctony]

Waiting until you run out of something and buying at convenience stores rather than buying in bulk or at places you can get them at a much lower cost. I see people in gas stations pretty frequently buying milk, bread, toilet paper, laundry detergent, ect. My parents did this like crazy when I was growing up and I thought it was very silly.

My solution to this in the toiletries category is buying online in bulk from Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer. Wal-Mart offers free shipping when you spend 45 dollars on these items, so I usually use them to buy 6-12 months of toilet paper, paper towel, laundry detergent, fabric softener, tooth brushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, bar soap, and the list goes on. If you have a Sams Club or Costco membership, you probably already do this same sort of thing at the retail location.

As for grocery shopping, I think a lot of people impulse buy or have no idea what they spend at the grocery store. It's much better to plan your meals, make a list, stick to your list, and make sure you are within your budget. I just started looking at sale ads and planning my meals around the sales. Seems pretty obvious, but I had never done it. I noticed that someone gave that advice in a post on this forum and found it to be a wonderful idea for myself.

[btctony]

With the day almost upon us, I'd say Black Friday is the worst example of consumers gone mad.

Funny that you mention Black Friday. When I was broke and wanted to put a new TV, or bed, or whatever that I couldn't afford on a credit card, Black Friday was so exciting to me. Waiting in line and being around all of those people ... I have no idea why, but it was exciting.

Since being debt free and using credit cards in a responsible fashion, I don't care much for Black Friday. My overall opinion of buying has changed. I'm always looking for a deal on something I'm in the market for, but I don't put myself in the market for something unless I've saved for it.

Black Friday seems to put everyone in the market for things they don't really need or have the money for.

[Jerry91]

The worst shopping habit is to go for things which you do not require. Many people buy unnecessary things just because others are buying it or because they are getting something free or extra with it.

[funlol]

I think the worst is to buy groceries and then just let them rot in the fridge. My roommate does this all the time and it drives me crazy! Only buy what you're gonna use!

[cschin4]

Years ago, I used to try to use coupons. Then I realized coupons just enticed me to buy something I hadn't planned to buy in the first place. So, I don't use coupons at all. And, I don't shop for sales. I only shop when I need something in particular. And, I now only shop in a few stores. I don't run around looking for the "best" price. If it is on sale, fine. If not, doesn't matter because I need it so I am going to buy it.
For me, I have discovered that the MORE I expose myself to stuff and merchandise, the more I will buy. So, the less I shop, the less I will buy and will save more money even if what I am buying is not on sale. Less exposure to stuff = less purchases for me.

[disneysteve]

Years ago, I used to try to use coupons. Then I realized coupons just enticed me to buy something I hadn't planned to buy in the first place. So, I don't use coupons at all. And, I don't shop for sales. I only shop when I need something in particular. And, I now only shop in a few stores. I don't run around looking for the "best" price. If it is on sale, fine. If not, doesn't matter because I need it so I am going to buy it.
For me, I have discovered that the MORE I expose myself to stuff and merchandise, the more I will buy. So, the less I shop, the less I will buy and will save more money even if what I am buying is not on sale. Less exposure to stuff = less purchases for me.

Great post!

I also use very few coupons. About the only time I use one is when it is for a free item. Coupons are for name brand costly products. We buy a lot of store brand generic products and they don't give out coupons. They don't need to since they are so much cheaper. Even with a coupon, the national brand is typically still more expensive than the store brand.

And your comment about shopping less is so true. Recreational shopping - going to stores just to kill time - leads to buying things you wouldn't otherwise buy.

[TheKayla]

I think my mom is one of the worst offenders, ha. What I see from her and many others is buying something just because 'its a good deal' when in fact its something they normally wouldn't buy or wont use. It's especially bothersome when its something like junk food, when it really provides no value in the end, or something that was a good deal that they don't really want or won't use at all. So much waste and then the product just sits there unused/uneaten.

Another thing I see a lot is getting the cheapest possible find on everything, and not considering value or long-term use. For example, buying the cheapest jeans possible that will only rip and need replacing in 6 months, rather than buying a pair that costs twice a much that will last years and years. Same goes for appliances, cars, etc. -- anything that you'll use most days for years. Not saying that expensive options are valid automatically, but I sure don't want a $2000 car if I can afford more only for that car to break down in a couple years and need replaced or numerous fixes and more maintenance.

[asdf]

Another thing I see a lot is getting the cheapest possible find on everything, and not considering value or long-term use. For example, buying the cheapest jeans possible that will only rip and need replacing in 6 months, rather than buying a pair that costs twice a much that will last years and years. Same goes for appliances, cars, etc. -- anything that you'll use most days for years. Not saying that expensive options are valid automatically, but I sure don't want a $2000 car if I can afford more only for that car to break down in a couple years and need replaced or numerous fixes and more maintenance.

The challenge, of course, is trying to guess which inexpensive goods will last for a long time, and which ones won't.

[ua_guy]

Outlet mall shopping. Outlet malls were cool when inventory was still loosely managed and products would end up at outlet malls because of over-production, or a need to write stuff off the books as soon as possible, like seasonal products. Now, with better IT platforms, inventory control systems, forecasting and reporting, most often, good products experience a production shortage.

Now the stuff at outlet malls is stuff that never sold well, missed the point or was poorly received, and is usually offered at a "outlet" price that you probably could have gotten in a regular store since it wasn't selling there, either.

Some people get really caught up in it. They travel long distances to these malls and shop and buy things simply because they think it's a good deal when it really isn't.

[disneysteve]

Outlet mall shopping. Outlet malls were cool when inventory was still loosely managed and products would end up at outlet malls because of over-production, or a need to write stuff off the books as soon as possible, like seasonal products. Now, with better IT platforms, inventory control systems, forecasting and reporting, most often, good products experience a production shortage.

Now the stuff at outlet malls is stuff that never sold well, missed the point or was poorly received, and is usually offered at a "outlet" price that you probably could have gotten in a regular store since it wasn't selling there, either.

Some people get really caught up in it. They travel long distances to these malls and shop and buy things simply because they think it's a good deal when it really isn't.

Actually, a great deal of the merchandise at outlet malls was specifically produced for the outlets. It is NOT the same merchandise that used to be in the regular stores. Much of it is easily identified as such because the label will say "Gap Outlet" or something similar. Another way to tell sometimes if if the price tag says something like "Compare at $29.99". That doesn't mean it was $29.99 in the store. It means similar items in the store are that price but this item was never actually sold at that price.

There are far too many outlet stores for all of that merchandise to have truly come out of the regular retail stores.

I remember when outlets were bare bones budget operations, often attached to or across the street from the factory. That was great. There were tremendous deals to be had. Now the outlets are a huge corporate endeavor with Prime and Tanger owning most of them. They are clean, bright, have sales and coupons and work just like every other store. That's not to say you can't still get a good deal. I buy most of my clothes at the outlets. But it's an entirely different experience than it used to be.

[HappySaver]

Being on the e-mailing list of retailers. They are dangerous!
I allow myself one - LL Bean, and I very often end up buying something when they have promotions. I'm generally pretty disciplined, though. I unsubscribe from all other retailers so there's no "click" temptation in my inbox.

I also always call to be taken off catalog mailing lists, but that's as much to not waste paper as anything else, since I would rather shop online rather than flip though a catalog. Being able to shop at home? Crazy dangerous!

When we moved into our house we got all the catalogs the sellers had received - it was nuts how many they got! They were definitely big time shoppers. I spent a lot of time calling a great deal of companies I never knew existed to get taken off their lists.

[TheKayla]

The challenge, of course, is trying to guess which inexpensive goods will last for a long time, and which ones won't.

Exactly! Research always wins, and people often times go for cheap without even that. Awhile back when I needed new running shoes, I know I couldn't get the cheapest because I run every day and I have very flat feet. I needed quality shoes. However, through a lot of research and reviews, I found that the best choice for me was nowhere near the spendier versions either -- actually a brand/model with a cost right in the middle. Were the really expensive ones better than the cheapest options? I'm sure of it. Were they the best option for me? Nope!