The Devil In Last Minute Shopping

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Last minute shopping is one activity we have engaged in at some point in time – either deliberately or by forces beyond our control. Sometimes we know what we need and when we need it but we deliberately put it off to the very last minute. There’s this surge of adrenaline when we are running about in a frenzy looking for white stilettos or pink bowler hats. That adrenaline rush can be a bit addictive but we are always the ones at loss when we engage in last minute shopping.

Before I seriously admonish you not to engage in last minute shopping, let us consider the pros and cons.

Cons

Very limited options.

If you had ample time to shop, you would have gone through a lot more items than you would with little time. When it starts to seem like you are running out of time, you just take whatever is shoved at you. “It’s just for tomorrow” you say to yourself. Well what happens after tomorrow? Do you throw this newly purchased item away?

You most likely won’t get a good deal

I don’t know what kind of infrared sensors these sales persons have but it’s almost like they can smell the desperation on you. Once they realize that you need them more than they need you, they will nearly double the price. And you’d end up buying it, because you don’t have a lot of choices.

‘Bad market’.

Because you are in a hurry, you won’t take as much time as you would inspecting the item if you had planned ahead. The minute the sales person notices you are in a hurry to buy, they would sell you something they wouldn’t dare sell to an attentive customer. You might just get home and notice you bought a mismatched pair of shoes.

Pros

I can honestly think of no advantage to last minute shopping. Can you?

Meanwhile, shopping ahead has pretty likable pros

Pros of shopping ahead

• You get a lot of options and end up with the item after your heart.

• No bad market for you because you will be calm enough to inspect what you are buying.

• With a lot of options, it would be very unlikely for you to be cheated as you already know the selling price of other stores.

• There’s also that calm and peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that you are fully prepared. The feeling is way better than adrenaline.

So the next time you consider pushing off going shopping, consider the pros and cons.