The first post-purchase behavior I exhibit is excitement for my new items. I love using them and telling my friends about my newest find. However, once the excitement dwindles, I feel one of two things: either appreciation for my new handy tool or complete remorse for the money spent. If I can return an item when I can feel the latter, it almost gives me a sense of relief. As I do live on a budget, my retail therapy isn’t always a good thing. I do feel better at the time of the purchase, but as soon as I leave the store, I begin to stress about being even more short on money and how I will have to make up for it. I like to say I self-sabotage, and unfortunately this is an instance where I tend to prove myself right more often than not.
I am very much an individual consumer, but I moonlight as an organizational consumer. On an individual bases, I purchase groceries, fill my car with gas, pay utilities and often spend way too much money on Amazon’s abundance of random things I have no business buying. However, for my role at wok, I purchase soda for the vending machine, plastic utensils for the break room and even help run fundraisers that repurpose goods.
At home, I try to buy multi-use, environmentally friendly items such as reusable bags and bowls, sturdy utensils, and even glass storage containers. I am not too concerned with brand name items so long as they fit this criteria. In fact, I tend to buy low-cost items that provide the most use. My buying decisions are often influenced by media and personal recommendations. I am pretty risk adverse, so I often get frustrated when I spend more money than I intend on a product that I end up disliking. Because of this, I tend to ask for recommendations on certain items or brands through social media or simple Google searches. I primarily shop on Amazon or at Meijer (a mid-western supermarket) and Target. I have been on a contactless shopping kick, so I LOVE the Target and Meijer pick-up options, and of course having Amazon orders dropped right at my door.
I work for a corporation, but our Wellness Committee is very involved with providing healthy snacks and planning family events as a form of employee appreciation. Consequently, I try to buy low priced items as the company has 1000+ employees and a limited fund for Committee use. As a committee, we also try to establish prize items for parties that are low-cost yet appreciated, such as a bundle of flowers or a $10 gift card. For work items, I typically shop at places like GFS, Walmart and Costco where I can buy in bulk, for less.
While I like to imagine I stick to my very strict budget, I also have to admit that I am an impulse buyer. If I see something I like, it’s nearly impossible to convince myself I don’t need it. I run through mental scenarios where the item would be extremely useful, and ignore the background thought that I will only use it once and then it will collect dust. I also have more buyer’s guilt than I’d like to admit, so I usually end up returning items a week or so later. However, I also have terrible short term memory, so I may forget to actually return products only to find them in my car six months later.
Marketing research and design play a large part in my decision making. While I do buy random things, I do so with specific intentions for those items. Marketing research is the process of defining a problem, determining the research design, designing methods of data collection, producing samples and collecting data, analyzing the data, and finally creating recommendations. The primary reason I buy something is for its practicality, and getting samples or a cheaper version is my go-to when trying something new. When I see a new kitchen gadget like a tea strainer or sink trash can, I hesitate spending any more than a few dollars for something that I am unsure will work. When I am buying something, especially online, I look at customer reviews and pictures to determine the quality and functionality of that item. I may go against my better judgement and order something I am unsure of, but I put that down as an experiment for a future investment.
Marketing design is an important factor for helping me remember just about everything. If I need something from the store but forget to make a note, it’s more than likely I will forget about the item entirely unless I see a picture of it in the store. Jingles also play a large part in decision making as I can remember company names like Safelite for automobile window replacements and 254-POOP if I need my septic pumped. I don’t rely on marketing design when making a purchase, but it does help influence my decision, even more so if there is comedy involved.
The first post-purchase behavior I exhibit is excitement for my new items. I love using them and telling my friends about my newest find. However, once the excitement dwindles, I feel one of two things: either appreciation for my new handy tool or complete remorse for the money spent. If I can return an item when I can feel the latter, it almost gives me a sense of relief. As I do live on a budget, my retail therapy isn’t always a good thing. I do feel better at the time of the purchase, but as soon as I leave the store, I begin to stress about being even more short on money and how I will have to make up for it. I like to say I self-sabotage, and unfortunately this is an instance where I tend to prove myself right more often than not.
Kori's Blog 