The [grand?] opening scene:
Hundreds of people gathered and jostled for better position. Crews set up cameras on nearby rooftops to capture the action and reporters buzzed with excitement. This was news at its finest!
Was it a royal newlyweds sighting? Or a public outcry against injustice? Perhaps a disaster relief operation in a city not used to catastrophe? What else could cause normally sane people to rise early in the morning and join a line that snaked around a building?
The answer: The grand opening of another home furnishings store.
Sad, but true.
If this was the first such store in a city deprived of places to shop for rugs, lamps and home accessories, it might explain the excitement. In reality, it was just the newest location of a nationwide chain, with two other stores already operating in the same city.
What’s all the fuss about?
What causes people to rush to these grand opening events? For many, the idea of buying something new satisfies a deep urge for gratification. It’s not that they need another lamp (the ones at home still turn on and off perfectly,) it’s the thrill of the hunt; the feeling it gives them when they snag the merchandise.
Perhaps an appropriate slogan for mega stores is: The place to find things you didn’t know you couldn’t live without. These businesses are wildly successful as they recognize a consumerism feeding frenzy afflicting many North Americans and capitalize on it. The quest to find the perfect accent table, the right colour of towels or the fluffiest sofa pillows suddenly takes on extreme importance when faced with rows and rows of choices.
Make do with what I already have?!? Huh?
Sounds drastic and makes us feel deprived, doesn’t it? It’s like a throwback to the Great Depression or early pioneer days, when people had two sets of clothes at most and a family’s worldly possessions could be loaded into a wagon. The suggestion, however, is to examine our motives for buying before we insert our debit card (chip encoded for your protection.) Ask yourself these questions as you stand in the cashier line:
- Do I have a perfectly serviceable one of these at home?
Ever notice how many garage sales sell perfectly good items? A newer, brightly coloured spatula is introduced, and out with the old! If what you have is not damaged or broken, hold off buying a replacement until it is. And spend the money you “saved” on a trip to the zoo with your kids or to an event with a friend or significant other. - Am I hungry, out of sorts, mad at someone, or feeling lonely?
Buying something to fill an emotional need is short lived. You might feel good as you walk out of the store, but in a few hours you’ll regret it – guaranteed. Your problems will still be there, and now your bank/credit account will have a larger dent in it. - Can I buy this tomorrow?
Follow a 24 hour rule: if you absolutely love it and truly need it, wait 24 hours and see if you still feel the same. Many stores let you put things on hold. (And if they don’t, recognize why: it’s because they know all about instant gratification.) This cooling off period gives you time to go home, reassess the purchase and then make a rational decision. Think of it as an out-of-store experience versus the out-of-body experience excuse we sometimes use when explaining an irrational purchase to a partner or spouse.
There are many ways to spend money and the key is to see it as a tool. We can use it to build the kind of lives we want by careful financial management, or we can watch it melt away in small, insignificant purchases. It’s a choice.
Pick a quote and remember it the next time you hear the Call of Consumerism!
- You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy. – Eric Hoffer.
- Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money. – Author Unknown
- You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. – Vernon Howard