Friday Question #217
By kilax, November 30, 2012 7:16 am
Are you an impulse buyer or a researcher?
Photo from November 2010
I know I’ve asked this before, so sorry for the repeat question!
I am most definitely an impulse buyer. That is how I ended up with my car and my netbook… and a lot of people’s holiday gifts this year. I am really bad at researching the things I want to buy, and buying them when there is a sale.
I guess this goes along with me being a very compulsive person. If I want to get someone for myself or someone, I want to do it now. This makes it very hard for me to have a box of holiday gifts in my closet, waiting to be given. It also makes it hard for me to not buy the things I want the few months before the holidays, but I’ve been good so far!
Themocracy
ooooo did you buy something nice for yourself!? Tell me you did!
I’m more of a researcher. BUT, if there’s a good sale on..well, that’s just hard sometimes!
I have not bought anything for me yet! But my mom and Grandma want me to take them to the outlets next weekend when they visit and I know I will then 😉
I am somewhere in between most of the time. However, I am becoming more impulsive as I become more comfortable spending money (Joey encourages me to not be crazy but to live a little… heh. I used to be extremely frugal but when you work two jobs and have little spending money, you learn to budget. It was difficult to change that frame of mine when I got a ‘real’ job.)
I often have trouble not buying for myself the months leading up to holidays too. I always justify it by only trying to buy items that nobody would ever purchase for me like jeans or dresses and running gear. 🙂
That is a good point though – there are some things other people just are not going to buy for you! Jeans are the hardest!
I am SOOOOO a researcher! I’m such a tight wad that I want to make sure I’m getting the best bang for my buck!
Depends on the person but I’m a little bit of both. I do a decent amount of impulse buying because I leave stuff to the last minute and hope I get lucky. This has been successful and unsuccessful in the past. This year, I am already behind having missed a few weeks of normal holiday shopping and decorating time due to the exam I’m taking. That sure is a good amount of loot! 🙂
You should come to the Kenosha outlets next Saturday with me and my mom and Grandma. You could get a lot of deals… and keep me sane 🙂
That loot is from when I went to the outlets in 2010 with my mom and sis! They are pro shoppers!
I tend to be a very deliberate buyer, not to get the best price, but to find the exact right thing for each person. I can be impulsive in my spending though, unfortunately.
Yeah, I guess that is more me – I want to get something someone will want (not going to impulse buy because something is on sale) but I do not really care about cost. Oops.
I am on both extremes when it comes to this. I’ll budget my life away and carefully think out every purchase and then it’s like I just snap and go nuts… there’s never a happy medium.
I’m both.. I’ll save my money for a while and have no intention of purchasing X, and then walk into a store and buy a ton of stuff I wasn’t planning on…
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! 😉
Hee hee hee… are these running stores you are walking in to?!
LESS THAN A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
muwahahaha. I’m an impulse buyer when I have money to burn. But for the last 8 months I’ve been researching used cars and it’s been giving me a headache.
My sister was trying to research used ones when she graduated and was having a total nightmare too.
I’m a little bit of both. I do a TON of research and stalk things until they go on sale, but if I actually make it into a store, I tend to impulse buy a few things along with the researched items. So clearly I’m better off not setting foot into a store 🙂
I hate shopping. So I prefer neither.
But because of that, I lean more towards impulse buyer, as required by my procrastination.
I’m less of an impulse buyer since we’ve gotten more serious about our budget. That being said, I just bought a garmin watch on Cyber Monday (actually Sunday) without doing more than 20 min of research because it was a GREAT deal. Soooo, the impulse buyer still appears on occasion.
Did you get the 410? 🙂 I sent that link to my husband. I got him the 405 at the end of 2008. Time for an upgrade… right? 🙂
I think it depends on what it is/who it’s for…and also whether or not I think it will still be there if I leave it. I love love love TJ Maxx and my rule there is if I’m on the fence and I think I will regret it not being there later I should purchase now. If I decide to return later (which happens often) it’s no biggie b/c they have a nice return policy and whether I end up with my $$ back or a gift card I know it’s not going to waste!
I do think I will be returning a few things I want if they go on sale… and repurchasing them. Hee hee. I doubt I will get that ambitious. But it makes me feel better about spending the $$.
I suppose I would say I’m more of an impulse purchaser…although I spend a lot of time thinking about gifts I want to get people. I don’t really research different options, though. I tend to go with the first thing I see that is similar to what I’ve been thinking about!
Is that a recent picture? Or is that from last year’s trip to the outlet malls?
Yeah, that is how I am too. Not so much in to researching options 😉
That pic is from the 2010 trip to the outlet malls. Most of my purchasing is online these days, although I am going to the outlets next weekend and to NYC in Dec 🙂
I am a research junkie. Sometimes i over research and then forget what i even wanted….
On a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being most impulsive and 1 being least impulsive, I’m probably about a 7. I’m definitely more research-oriented for major purchases, though. But running shoes? Forget about it. I’d buy a new pair every day if I could.
I am a little bit of both. I usually have an idea what I want to get people and go in with a list. But then, I also usually end up with a lot of stuff I didn’t plan to buy.
I think I’m a little of both depending on the item. I like to do some research to see if I can get a good deal but sometimes I’m just like I HAVE TO HAVE IT! NOW!
Like others have said – a little bit of both. It also really depends on whether I know what I’m looking for and if it’s a long-term purchase. If it’s long-term, then I do more research or at least give it more thought. Although I have bought big ticket items (my bike, for instance) sort of on an impulse, but after thinking about it for a while (like months and months).
I’m an impulse buyer but the ultimate second-guesser once I bring my goodies home and start trying them on again at home. I end up returning a lot of the things I buy impulsively so I guess it all balances out in the end?
Ha! It does balance out. I think I may be doing a bit of that this Dec 😉
If they’ve got a good return policy, I can be an impulse buying. But if it’s not exactly what I want (or if I do research and find something better) I’ll take it back!
I tend to overthink pretty much everything, so I often overthink big purchases. But I’ve been generally satisfied with them (my car, my cameras, my running watch). But with smaller purchases, I’m an impulse buyer … “it’s only $30 [or less].” And then I end up with a lot of stuff that honestly I don’t need. I have a drawer … a DRAWER … full of running clothes. Do I really need THAT much stuff? Do I not have a washing machine?
I have so so so many running items. A lot of them are from races but some are shirts I just HAD to have. I need to get rid of more of them. The only thing I really need now is shorts… mine all stink and have holes in the crotches. Ha!
I’m totally an impulse buyer. I have to go to stores and walk around until something catches my eye. I keep in mind all year long though present ideas in case the perfect one jumps out at me.
I research a lot, but there are some things that I impulse buy, like food at the store… new food items I just take off the shelf and go home and enjoy them.