A lot has been written about buyer’s remorse-because it happens a lot. Pandemic purchases have only made the problem worse. Fill in the blank. I hate my… Peleton, fire pit, air fryer, designer handbag… why did I buy it? Stores and online sites spend heavily to entice us to buy things we don’t need and maybe don’t even want. We shop when we’re bored, sad, happy, flush, broke. Any excuse or no excuse- shopping is what we do. An internet connection and a credit card are adult pacifiers.
So how do we avoid our next shopping mistake? The simplest way is simply to wait. Putting a bit of space between the impulse to purchase and actually doing so can save us a lot of regret. Waiting will clearly distinguish needs from wants. Some things really can’t wait without unfortunate consequences. But everything else (probably the lion’s share), can.
It might be too late to avoid regrets about holiday purchases and pandemic indulgences, but it’s not too late to mend your ways. Mind the gap. Wait. Not every itch needs to be scratched. I’m taking my own advice. In The Holiday Gift Guide, replete with time-saving, expert-vetted gifts, a pair of snappy sunglasses caught my eye. I have a pair of sunglasses that work just fine, but I like the looks of these keyhole shades better. This itch goes squarely in the “wants” column. I’ve marked my calendar for June 27, 2023 which is National Sunglass Day. My bet is that I’ll be relieved, not remorseful to have waited.