Hi Everyone,
For anyone who doesn’t already know, I’m like a man when it comes to shopping because I HATE shopping! Shopping for anything, in my mind, is a waste of time. It is necessary evil and because of that, I am exacting when I shop. This is what I mean.
Before I go shopping for anything, I make a list as I walk around my apartment and take stock of my inventory. Yes, I really do think of the things that I have in my apartment as inventory. And I know that seems like a strange word to use for someone who hates shopping but that is the way I consider the things that I have purchased and will purchase. Here’s an example.
When I go grocery shopping, I’ll open my fridge, take a peek inside and write down on my list exactly what I see. For example, if I see oranges and apples, I’ll write, “No oranges. No apples.” Then I’ll write down what I don’t see. That is what I need so I don’t waste time shopping for what I already have, thereby wasting my time and money. Then I will continue with the list. I rarely veer from my list. If by chance I do, it is only because I found an AMAZING deal on something that I actually need but wasn’t in the flyer. I don’t concern myself with the size of the shopping cart, or use a basket. I stick to the list so it doesn’t matter. I do this when I buy clothes, toiletries, etc.
When I think I’m getting low on body or skin care, I’ll begin asking the salesclerks when my favourite body and skin care line is having a “bonus/gift with purchase” or as we like to call in the industry, GWP. As soon as they tell me, I pick out what I’m getting low on. If the GWP is already in the store the salesclerk will set it aside with the GWP and I tell them when I’ll be in to buy it which is usually when they have a gala so I can support the store’s event. If the GWP is not in the store, the salesclerk still sets aside my future purchase so I get exactly what I want.
Now because I love FREE I always make sure that I have enough body and skin care at all times. One way to do that is to “always have one on the go,” and one in “inventory,” so I can TIME my purchase to the GWP. I am telling you this because all of the above prevents me from impulse shopping, saves me time and money while I get FREE stuff that I will eventually use. But here is the thing. Because I have been doing this for years, I already know the sales/GWP cycles meaning that I know within two weeks when there is going to be GWP. And because I have been doing this for years, I also know within two months when I’m going to start getting low on something that I need.
So how did I get this way? Well, it was just years of planning when I was raising my daughter. I also watched a lot of documentaries about shopping, marketing and I read a few books. Two books that I found very helpful and HIGHLY recommend are both by Paco Underhill. His first book is, Why We Buy, and the subtitle is, The Science of Shopping. The second book is called, Call of The Mall, and its subtitle is, The Geography of Shopping.
Why We Buy, The Science of Shopping was copyrighted in 1999 and, Call of the Mall, was copyrighted in 2004. As I remember, I read both of them within a few months of printing, BUT the principles of BOTH books still apply today. Anytime I hear a, “financial expert” use the words I read in Paco Underhill’s books I smile to myself because it is not new information to me. The “financial expert” either uses the exact same words, or paraphrases Pacos’ printed words. Either way, they only scratch the surface of Paco’s books. But at the end of the day, it is always discipline that will get us to where we want to go. And yes, that includes discipline when we shop!
Here are some links to past blogs that I have mentioned in this blog,
Why I HATE Shopping, http://arebelsrant.com/why-i-hate-shopping/
I’m Like A Man When, http://arebelsrant.com/im-like-a-man-when/
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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