I am not a shopaholic!

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Like any other person (read women) I love shopping - No matter it is scorching sun or lousy rain!  No matter I have some buying list or not! Regardless of how filthy or horde Ranganathan street gets! I simply love it! Strolling on the streets, watching the busy shopkeepers, window shopping, and walking with 1000 other lively shoppers!  It’s an immense feeling altogether! What say?

From a simple hair-clip,trinkets, sandals, handbags, clothes, to household items, I shop tirelessly for hours and hours!  I can stroll through the streets for hours, without uttering the words "oh-I am-so-tired-of-walking".  Anna Nagar, Spencer plaza, Pondy Bazaar and of course the Ranganathan street in Chennai + Jayanagar shopping complex, Brigade road and commercial street at Bangalore have been my best shopping destinations in India!  

Albeit being an impulsive shopper, I know what I wanted, with detailed description in my mind.  So, mostly, I don’t get what I wanted when I deliberately shop for it. I go for shopping spree with the objective of buying THIS, THIS, and THIS. I either don’t complete my purchase, or get exhausted searching for it, or purchase something for the heck of it, and get dissatisfied in the end. Most of times, I never get adequate fulfillment when I shop intentionally.  May be all women are like me, that’s why husbands do not like accompanying us for shopping! 

So, my policy is simple- to prepare and plan a lot before going for shopping!

* I don’t go for shopping alone. 

* I always accompany someone who is not impulsive like me

* I don’t keep any list of items to be purchased. 

* I don’t intend to purchase anything. 

* I roam around the shop for nothings, but if I found something I wanted, I will buy them right away, with no hesitation!  

* Or I will say the wish-list to my dear ones, and get them as present!

These are the only successful ways I’ve got what I wanted, happily and feel satisfied with the product! 

Accompanying a friend for her wedding purchase had led way for my purchase for what I’ve been searching for ages. I just go for it when I find. Otherwise, I would never get them!   Someone (proud me) who spends considerable time to buy a simple product has spent barely 30 minutes in deciding her D-Day’s costumes! Can you believe! Well, to be honest, everyone in my family were awe-struck at my buying attitude when I took only less than 30 minutes to choose 7 sarees minus reception saree!

From my perspective, 30 minutes was plenty.  I decided the colors, shop, had some raw designs in my mind even before I started shopping.  And I knew I wasn’t going to waste my time on buying sarees!  Nalli (T-Nagar Nalli 100 to be more specific) is my all-time-favorite shop for purchasing sarees!   Although they have branches in Anna nagar, I decided to go to T-Nagar, because I was so much attached to it for no reasons!   But I spent 3 hours in choosing a reception saree at Diva Anna Nagar, because I did not get the color and design I wanted. And finally with half mind, I made a decision.  

There are lots of changing factors that affects a person’s buying behavior depending on the product, country,income levels and many more.  Price could be a least factor compared to the freshness and taste when you buy a fruit or vegetable, whereas price,design/ brands are the vital factors when you buy clothes or jewellery.  Ok…am not getting more into the MRCB subject (Market Research and Consumer Behaviour).

For me, there were paradigm shift on my buying behavior over a period of time-after having a job for myself, after the change of my marital status,after changing the country.  While I was never worried about making an impulsive purchase on a cloth or a handbag in India before marriage, I think N no.of times (for the same such product) before making a decision now after marriage! Responsibility factors yeah...True to some extent!  But, I also know that the same piece of dress and handbag will be put on a summer sale for an eye-catching discount.  So I wait for the opportunity and grab it then! 

So much fascination and desire I have for shopping, but this doesn’t exist if I were to purchase household groceries.  I don’t know why.  I just select them, run to the billing counter, and finish it at the earliest! 

S doesn’t like shopping, IF AND ONLY IF the purchase is made “for and by his wife".  If it is something for him, he happily spends the whole day at a shopping mall.  So we decided (read as S's strategy) not to make any purchase on weekends, which we have been following from the early days of our marriage.  We either shop on working days, or at the max 1 hour on weekends.  Because, it kills the quality personal time.

So, what is your shopping behavior??

Image courtesy: Google