How to outsmart the marketing on Black Friday
Store owners have you right where they want you: They’ve teased you with sales, you’ve been cooped up with your family for days, and now that Thanksgiving is over, it feels like the main reason we celebrate the holidays—to give and to receive—is upon us. Our entire culture is screaming “SHOP NOW!”
But before you do that, take a deep breath and a look at some of the tricks retailers use to trap you into spending more than you’re prepared to. You don’t have to give up shopping altogether; just shop smart.
1. Hands off the merchandise
In a recent study by CalTech researchers, experiment subjects were willing to pay an average of 50% more for objects (from desserts to trinkets) they could actually touch than objects they just read descriptions of or saw pictures of. The lesson: Don’t overvalue something just because it’s right in front of you.
2. Wait 24 hours
Avoid the dreaded buyer’s remorse! If you’re tempted to make an unplanned big-ticket purchase, give yourself a cooling off period before pulling the trigger. A short delay can encourage the part of your brain that makes rational decisions to gain control of your wallet.
3. Don’t trust your senses
Stores use fragrances, fancy lighting, and music to create an atmosphere that says “You’re cool, and our stuff is cool. You belong here, and our stuff belongs in your home.” For example, a company called Prolitec provides “ambient scents”—pleasant indoor odors conducive to shopping—to clients including Abercrombie & Fitch. Answer those siren songs with realism: Is this item the right gift at the right price? Aunt Sue won’t experience the store’s glowy lights and hip music—only the present itself.
4. Wait for Cyber Monday
If the idea of crushing into a big-box store with thousands of rabid shoppers at 5 a.m. doesn’t appeal to you—and I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t—consider waiting until Cyber Monday.
5. When is a sale item not a sale item?
When you didn’t walk into the store intending to buy it. If it wasn’t on your shopping list—you DO have a shopping list, right?—then buying it isn’t saving you money. “Half off” is still more than zero.
