Stopping the Impulse Buying Madness

How many times have you gone into a store to buy 1 or 2 items and come out with much more? I am a retail consultant and see this many times each day. For example, you go into the store for a $2 greeting card and walk out with $30 of purchases. Many times, it is for items you would have never considered. The retail stores are glad people like to make impulse purchases.

On the news today, I hear a fascinating study. It was from the March issue of "The Journal of Consumer Research". People who are on a diet will make more impulse purchases than someone who is not. This is especially true, if they just started the diet.

Good retail stores are set up for you to see, touch, smell and taste products. Once you do this, it is much more likely you will make impulse purchases. People who have no clear idea of what to buy are prime targets for impulse shopping. How can a shopper limit their impulse buying?

There is no simple magic cure. It will take some self-control and a plan. Here are some tips to make it easier to lower or eliminate your impulse buying.

If you are going to the grocery store, you need to eat first. Otherwise, everything looks and smells good. Your cart or carts will be overflowing with items you don't need. Also, don't test the samples, unless you have previously planned to purchase them. If you taste them and it is good, you are likely to put the item in your shopping cart.

You must have a shopping list and stick to it. This is the most important thing you can do to limit impulse buying. It takes self-discipline, but it will keep unneeded items in your cart and save you time also. Only go to the aisles and departments of items on the list. The temptation may be too great by visiting sections of the store not on your list.

Do not go window-shopping. This will lead you to increase impulse buying. When you are shopping, limit the number of stores and number of times, you visit these retail stores. The more often you go in a store; it increases the odds of buying impulse items.