September | 2014 | The Healthy Shopper

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Striving for Good Shopping Habits

Finding a perfect balance between purchasing what you need and saving money can be very difficult. Most people feel like there is never enough money to do both right. It is very common for a person to either fall into the category of being too frugal to the point of denying themselves necessities or being uncontrolled in their spending to the point of damaging their finances. The latter of the two is much more common, as the average reader could guess. In order to achieve good spending habits and, more broadly, good mental health, it is very important for you to manage your spending habits so as not to lose control of your finances.

In order to achieve good shopping habits, you must critically examine your shopping behavior to determine whether or not you are a healthy shopper. A healthy shopper possesses certain characteristics that distinguish them from other shoppers. First and foremost, they never go for a shopping expedition without considering their budget and predetermining the amount they will allow themselves to spend. A particularly careful shopper will even list the items they need to purchase to ensure that they are only buying the absolute essentials.

Unhealthy shoppers have entirely different shopping behaviors. For an unhealthy shopper, shopping is typically much more of an impulse behavior. They may be in the habit of shopping in order to be happy or using shopping as therapy. Shopping addiction has been determined to be a treatable addiction in certain people and can easily qualify a person for addiction treatment and rehabilitation. Shopping addicts are highly unlikely to create a budget for their shopping excursions. Items purchased are frequently not necessities at all, but are instead “feel good” items that give the shopper euphoric feelings of instant gratification. This type of compulsive shopping often leads to overspending and financial hardship, which can take a serious toll on an individual’s personal life.

An Unhealthy Shopper

Shopping with someone can tell you a lot about them. In fact, shopping is a recommended exercise to participate in with someone if you are trying to determine how compatible you are with them. Shopping tests our planning and executing abilities on a very basic, exemplary level. If you want to know how someone manages money, time and energy, and generally speaking, how responsible they are, shopping is a good way to find out. What would it tell you if you were spending the day with someone and they announced that they needed to shop unexpectedly without making a list or a budget, bounced around the store without a plan, their behavior erratic and confusing, then was dissatisfied with their purchases when they got home because they had forgotten items or purchased unnecessary items?

Responsible people become overwhelmed and exacerbated by irresponsible people, and need to take them in small doses. Shopping with a person can tell you a great deal about that person’s level of responsibility. When a responsible person sees that they person they are keeping company with does no preparation for a shopping excursion, it is disconcerting. The individual will not make a shopping list or consult their budget. They are driven to shop based on their feelings and whims, and will frequently be completely unprepared for the shopping decisions they will face.

In the store, their behavior is flighty and emotional. They do not seemingly have an objective or a process of any sort. They are unscrupulous about certain costly purchases and hung up on inane ones. They do not follow a methodical path around the store, but instead bounce from one end to the other unpredictably. They may react emotionally or illogically to other shoppers and employees. Someone who is more responsible and efficient is likely not compatible with this type of behavior.

And lastly, once the irresponsible person gets their purchases home, they are still frantic and excitable because they likely forgot a number of items and the gravity of the unwise purchases is finally hitting them, prompting a new process of returning to the store to return items and pick up the ones that escaped the individual in their last shopping attempt.

A Healthy Shopper

Shopping is an activity that we all engage in frequently. For most people, shopping is the system used to achieve the necessities and commodities we rely on in our everyday lives. It is a very common, basic practice that we engage in, and can become a reflection of our mental health and our level of responsibility. Your shopping habits can indicate what kind of person you are and how well prepared you are in life.

For example, someone who is mentally healthy and responsible will typically be in the habit of preparing for their shopping trips to some degree. With the exception of spontaneous shopping trips for small necessities, a responsible shopper will typically have shopping excursions methodically and on a schedule. They prepare for their shopping trips by listing the items they are in need of, then weighing them against a budget. If their budget does not allow for the entire list, they eliminate items. Their planning and budgeting is meticulous and they can foresee the process of shopping in order to prepare for it. To get a mental health checkup, one should go and seek professional advice from a mental health authority on the subject.

While they are shopping, they are weighing their shopping list with time and money management, all the while practicing self control. They pass by items that would make for enjoyable pleasure purchases and focus on the necessities that were premeditated. If something unexpected comes up or they remember an item they need but forgot to list, they consult their budget in order to make room for the item. They are seldom seen dashing around the store without a plan, but rather thinking carefully about every item they put in their cart and going through each aisle systematically.

One of the biggest differences between a prepared shopper and an ill-prepared shopper is the absence of buyer’s remorse. Because the prepared shopper foresaw their shopping experience in advance – what items they would bring home and how much it would cost them – they are not taken aback at all when they get home by their purchases because they anticipated the benefits and the costs of their shopping.

What are Your Shopping Habits?

A little something that everyone has but is seldom aware of is shopping habits that are unique to themselves. Whether it is for necessities or pleasure purchases, every person has an individualized system of shopping that is a reflection of their personality and their psychology. Shopping is a task and a behavior that everyone in our culture is familiar with because we all shop routinely. Shopping makes use of our planning, budgeting, multitasking, improvising and socializing skills, which makes it an opportunity to analyze our behavior and compare it to others.

Some people exercise good habits and mental health practices when shopping. This is typically unconscious and reflects a generally responsible personality. This type of person will often make a list of what they are shopping for prior to going to the store in order to be prepared for selecting items. They will also frequently set a budget and a spending limit in order to manage the financial aspect of shopping. They have a well-developed sense of what is a necessity and what is frivolous, and shop accordingly. Their in-store shopping routine is systematic and efficient, and their manners toward other shoppers and store employees is calm and gracious. This type of person seldom has buyer’s remorse because they are very calculated in their spending.

Then, there is the type of shopper who exemplifies a number of bad shopping habits. Planning plays a small to non-existent part in this person’s shopping routine and tends to follow the person’s whims. Shopping trips tend to be made erratically instead of on a schedule and are frequently prompted by feelings rather than logic. Without a shopping list or a budget, the shopper will forget necessary items, purchase unnecessary items and frequently overspend, maxing out their cards. Their shopping behavior is unpredictable, and they may appear rude, unprepared or scatterbrained to other shoppers and store employees. Buyer’s remorse is common for this type of shopper.