Why Am I Buying This: Part Two

If you read yesterday’s post you know I have to play quite a few tricks to prevent myself from impulsively purchasing items. Most of the time I’m able to walk away without purchasing unexpected items, but every once in awhile I falter. Just as Superman had kryptonite, my weakness is a deeply discounted sale item.

When I was growing up my next door neighbor was a bargain shopper. Her daughter had closets full of clothes that she purchased for pennies on the dollar. Despite the fact that her daughter attended only two or three dances a year, she always had ten to twelve brand new prom dresses hanging in her closet. I remember overhearing a conversation between my mom and the neighbor when I was just a kid. You could feel the excitement, the rush, the neighbor felt as she detailed her bargains.

Of course, I now know that a bargain isn’t a bargain if it sits in your closet unworn and unused. Yet, despite the logical reasoning I possess as I write this post, that logic often seems to waver when I’m in the store, holding up a sale item. I think that’s why stores like Marshalls are such a hindrance for me, by nature all of the items are deeply discounted.

So what is it about bargains that I find so irresistible? Why do I desire to buy an item just because it’s on sale, when I know in my heart of hearts I would not consider buying the item if it was selling at full price?