Your Invited to my Couch Warming Party

Working in an industry that relies heavily on impulse purchasing, I find purchasing of any kind interesting. Especially when I do so myself. Despite knowing some of the tricks or triggers that retailers and manufactures use, having used many of these myself, I am still surprised by how often I fall for them.

For me, anything on sale turns into an impulse shopping opportunity. I was recently on the Kate Spade website and found a necklace that I liked. The original price of the necklace would have prevented me from even considering purchasing the necklace, but once I realized it was on sale, I instantly went into a local store and purchased the item. With a sale in the equation, the item does not need to be inexpensive for me to seriously consider making the purchase.

When it comes to an item that I seriously consider and research, furniture comes to mind. I spend years simply getting comfortable with the idea of purchasing an expensive couch from Crate and Barrel. Once I reached that plateau, it took a number of months to finally decide on which sofa, the material, color, etc. I became a bit of a fixture at the Crate and Barrel in the University Village with my constant research and visits. I was so invested in this purchase that once the item arrived, I actually hosted a couch warming party, celebrating this milestone of purchasing such a large scale item on my own.

Recently, I also purchased a new bed from West Elm. Again I spent months mentally preparing myself for the large purchase. What is interesting, was in purchasing this particular item, I had a terrible customer service experience with West Elm. My bed was on back order for 3.5 months and they eventually delivered the bed without my knowledge while I was traveling. But having spent so much time researching my options, saving and making a decision, I find that I become extremely committed to my purchase and that even the worst of experiences can't prevent me from eventually buying the item. (While I am very happy with the product, I will admit that my relationship with the retailer has suffered).