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Costly impulses

With disposable incomes, a new species has crawled out of the shopping malls — the impulse shopper

TWO BAGS FULL On a whim and a prayer Photo: Reuters

Driven by the impulse to consume, the middle-income group is treading a new path. Have money, will splurge seems to be the new mantra. While impulse buying is not limited to one segment of society, it is the median earning, extreme spending middle-class that feels the squeeze of its own recklessness, as it tries to walk the thin line between the haves and the have-nots.

Everything is in place to attract the impulsive buyer's attention by providing the right temptations including what is called the impulse display near the checkout counter. As you wait to be billed, you may have realised you've ended up with a whole lot of stuff you had no intention of buying, considering your original list had just a couple of items.

Welcome to themorass of impulse shopping.

Multiplexes and malls provide the right environment for the impulse shopper. The availability of disposable incomes and easy finance fuels the addiction. For an impulse buyer, the joy of acquisition is quickly replaced by guilt as one tries to figure out the utilitarian value of the buy.One of the best ways to avoid impulse buys is to have a list, and more importantly, to stick to it. Smitha, mother of a toddler, says: "I always go with a shopping list, but attractive discounts tempt me. I just cannot resist the temptation of buying that attractive little frock for my daughter even though I know that she will outgrow it in a few months' time."

Nirmala, a homemaker, is more cautious: "I buy groceries through the telephone, rather than browse in the supermarket. It saves me a lot of money, as my purchases are almost always need based."

Veena, a corporate lawyer, was "tempted to purchase a Christmas tree that was attractively placed near the cash counter." Out of sight out of mind is a good technique to resist and check this kind of temptation. Walk away from the item, and buy the other things on the list. Chances are that 95 per cent of the time one does not return to your first temptation having forgotten completely about it.

"Books and cassettes are my impulse buys. I don't mind picking up a book if the cover or subject appeals to me," says Prabhin, a software professional. "I pick up cassettes and after a point of time I might even forget that I have them," reveals Kartik, an HR professional.

"Who cares?" demands Aishwarya, a linguist. "I feel happy after every purchase I make. Why not indulge to satisfy one's senses? I find shopping a stress buster." Impulse buying does not matter much until the time the financial burden of the purchase far outweighs that momentary high. At that point the only way out is to take that solemn vow to suppress the "wow!" factor that triggers the impulse.

B. DIVYA VARMA

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