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Pricey impulse

With disposable incomes, a new species has emerged — the impulse shopper

Driven by the impulse to consume, the middle-income group is treading a new path. Scrooge-like parsimony no longer characterises the middle class. The ant seems to have morphed into the grasshopper. 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 the morass of impulse shopping.

Impulse buying could spring from the urge to grab something for fear of missing out on all those juicy discounts. Then there is the extremely persuasive salesman that convinces you to buy stuff you definitely don't need.The urge to be up-to-date with technological advancements and succumbing to peer pressure results in purchases that are, simply put, quite useless.

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."

B. DIVYA VARMA

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