How to resist impulse buying during Black Week

Almost every second Swede has bought things they don’t need • “Then you get pissed off”

Soon it will be time for the biggest shopping event of the year, Black Friday.
Something that usually means attractive offers and limited-time sales.
How does this affect our purchasing decisions?
– It feels rewarding to shop, says John Eloff, chief psychologist, in Nyhetsmorgon.

46 percent of Swedes have bought things they don’t need or planned during sale periods. This is shown by a Sifo survey commissioned by ICA Banken.

– It’s a high number, that’s for sure. There you can see the power of trade. Says Magnus Hjelmér, economist at ICA Banken.

John Eloff, chief psychologist, believes that it is not so strange that almost every other Swede makes unplanned purchases during sale periods. He says that it is the very reward that we humans are chasing. Research also shows that we humans are afraid of missing out on things if we don’t pounce during offers.

– There are quite strong psychological forces behind purchasing behavior in general. And it is spes on during sale periods. We always find it rewarding to shop at all. We chase quick rewards.

“Then you get pissed off”

A common phenomenon is that the price of some goods increases before a sale, this to make it look like a bigger discount. The new Price Information Act came into force to curb so-called “fake sales”. It means that goods with a reduced price must also show the lowest price during the last 30 days. Figures now show that some companies are trying to get away from this by raising prices already in October, ahead of Black Week at the end of November, says Magnus Hjelmér.

– This is terrible. Then you get pissed off.

This is how you avoid impulse purchases

There are things that consumers can think about during sale times, which make you resist impulse buying, says John Eloff. Do not subscribe to social media accounts or to e-mails reminding you of offers. Make a shopping list with a maximum budget and try waiting for 24 hours, after you see an offer, when the feelings of stress often subside.

– Will this thing make my life better in 3-6 months? Because usually it makes us a little happy, maybe for one to two days, but then it disappears, says John Eloff.

Today 11:09

Survey: 46 percent buy things they don’t need

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