Came by this great article about how advertising is fueling our consumer behavior, it sure fueled me to write a bit more than usual because I think this topic is very important to share.
For years now it seems Sales have become a year round event just to make us think we are getting great deals, Sale Sale Sale!
Black Friday Warning! It’s only 10 days away, Great Deals! HUGE Sales!
They make it easier than ever before, you don’t even have to stand in line out in the cold for hours to be part of a stampede and risk your life to get a Flat Screen TV for $100 cheaper. These days it’s even more tricky with the stores being right in your home, there is so much available online with the use of your computer or smart phone, just a click of a button make payment and your the owner of more stuff.
The more stuff we own the more occupied we are with it all, having less unnecessary stuff in our lives is less overwhelming and it starts with thinking clearly about our purchases.
Are you going to be a conscious Black Friday consumer? What are you going to do? What do you really need versus what do you want? Ask yourself the right questions, ‘Is this truly a great deal if I don’t really need it?’ ‘Do I really need this right now?’ ‘Is the one I have worn out, broken or damaged?’ ‘Does it need to be replaced?’
Great deals are only great deals if it’s on something that you were planning on buying in the first place, that’s when you save money. But most Black Friday purchases are impulse buys and the proof is there, you see it happen every year in the few days after Black Friday (or any other Holiday sales) the return lines are longer than normal. So many people get caught up in the moment unable to think clearly and the only thing on their mind is how much they save if they but it now before the deal is gone and miss out.
But are you really missing out if you pass on that amazing deal!?
Consumers have to understand that the majority of discounted items are older products (old stock) and hardly the newly released products. This is the most profitable way for stores to sell their old stock, sales don’t exist because they want the consumer to get stuff cheaper, it’s there to sell stuff before it becomes ‘unsaleable stock’ to any consumer.
For me, I’m not going anywhere Black Friday, no physical stores or online stores, I avoid it all. Last time I went to a Black Friday Sale was 6 years ago and I noticed how crazy it all was and looking at most prices it wasn’t much savings anyway on items I really needed at the time. I’ll make my necessary purchases when there is no pressure of time or price to tempt me to buy impulsively, that’s where I save money and end up with only the things I really need in my life, now that’s savings!
Stop Consuming Before It’s Consumes You!
Read the following article from The Guardian here that inspired me to write this blog.