What Kind of Shopper Are You?
There are two different types of shoppers. The elite and the bargain-hunters. The elite feel good about their purchases because the things they buy let others know that they are richer than them (or that they have more debt). Retailers cater to them by plastering the brand name all over the object and never placing the item on sale. This way the poor people can only get knock-off versions. The bargain-hunters feel smart for saving money. Retailers cater to them by marking up prices and then placing items on sale, so that the bargain hunters can say "Hey, this sweater was $89 but it's 50% off! I'm so smart for buying during the holiday season!"
What kind of shopper am I? A bargain shopper, and an incredibly cheap one at that. Here are my clothing requirements. I have to like them, which I'm sure is a total duh sort of a thing, but you see, I'm at that awkward in-between age. I feel stupid shopping in the junior department because I'm nearing my mid-twenties, plus it's hard to find non-hootchie clothes that fit me in the junior dept. I'm not old enough to be shopping in the women's department, because really, when you're shopping next to a 70-year-old, it's not hot. Not at all. Once I do find something I like, it has to be the right color, versatile, and the right price. And also, it has to be good enough that I can't talk myself out of buying it, and believe me, I can talk myself out of buying most anything. The trick I use to actually buy something is telling myself that I can always take it back. And then I rip off the tags before I'm tempted to actually do so.
I always complain that I can't find anything when I go shopping, and people tell me that it's because I'm so cheap. But I play this little game when I go, where I pretend that I'm not cheap and have money to blow that I'm willing to blow, and I look at expensive things and guess what? I don't like them anyway. Here's a conversation I had with my sister recently:
Me: I can't find a purse. I want to find one, I really want to pay money for something I love, but I just can't find anything I like or that I can live with. I don't even like expensive purses.
Her: Well, I usually get purses as gifts, but I really do like the Coach purses.
Me: Not me. I mean, it's covered in C's. Hoopty-doo. Oh! But sometimes, the C's, they're different colors. Totally worth over $300.
What kind of shopper am I? A bargain shopper, and an incredibly cheap one at that. Here are my clothing requirements. I have to like them, which I'm sure is a total duh sort of a thing, but you see, I'm at that awkward in-between age. I feel stupid shopping in the junior department because I'm nearing my mid-twenties, plus it's hard to find non-hootchie clothes that fit me in the junior dept. I'm not old enough to be shopping in the women's department, because really, when you're shopping next to a 70-year-old, it's not hot. Not at all. Once I do find something I like, it has to be the right color, versatile, and the right price. And also, it has to be good enough that I can't talk myself out of buying it, and believe me, I can talk myself out of buying most anything. The trick I use to actually buy something is telling myself that I can always take it back. And then I rip off the tags before I'm tempted to actually do so.
I always complain that I can't find anything when I go shopping, and people tell me that it's because I'm so cheap. But I play this little game when I go, where I pretend that I'm not cheap and have money to blow that I'm willing to blow, and I look at expensive things and guess what? I don't like them anyway. Here's a conversation I had with my sister recently:
Me: I can't find a purse. I want to find one, I really want to pay money for something I love, but I just can't find anything I like or that I can live with. I don't even like expensive purses.
Her: Well, I usually get purses as gifts, but I really do like the Coach purses.
Me: Not me. I mean, it's covered in C's. Hoopty-doo. Oh! But sometimes, the C's, they're different colors. Totally worth over $300.
