The Art of Shopping

Those who don't enjoy it, consider shopping a chore.  I consider it and art form of self expression.. and I enjoy the challenge of beating retailers into submission for the best price.  Certain colors, matching outfits, finding classic pieces at bargain prices - this all puts a smile on my face.  Lately though I have not been shopping for myself, gasp!  I have been on a quest to accommodate my college graduate son with a grown-up wardrobe.  Shopping for men is just as much of an art as it is for women.  Finding classic pieces, watching sales, getting mix and matchable things that have more than one use - these were my goals.
We started with the buy one get one free sale at Mens Warehouse for 2 classically tailored blazers and dress pants.  Added on 2 shirts and 2 ties that were all mix and match in classic charcoal grey, black, navy, and tan.  He needed real dress shoes, as his sketchers would not be satisfactory - black and brown buy one get one half off.  A little sale watching, a 30% off coupon, and some Kohl's Cash netted 3 suits, 3 v-neck sweaters, 2 shirts, and 3 ties.  The clearance sale at Boscov's added a 3/4 zip Izod sweater in a neutral shade for $15, a charcoal gray Izod knit vest for $14, and 2 more name brand ties for $5 each!  I am happy to announce:  the new and improved complete wardrobe makeover of Master Derrick is a success.  He has plenty of mix and match grown-up separates, suitable for any occasion.  I'm sure there will still be days of college style ragged jeans and hoodies; but he's now ready to take on the full time job of job hunting!

The Decline of Impulse Shopping

I wouldn't say I'm an "extreme couponer" but I do love a good coupon code.  In fact, sometimes the coupons make or break the sale and I do consider myself "The Queen of Coupon Codes".  I do not order anything online without an extra discount.  If a website doesn't allow combining coupon codes, I am likely to leave the items in the cart and walk away.  The advertising world needs an update; in today's economy there are no "must haves" except maybe underwear and even that is negotiable.
Take, for example, my most recent purchase of 2 shirts from Banana Republic which were already on sale.  I had a 20% coupon code which I was considering using online, when I got a 'one day 30% off coupon' via email.  The shirts would have been $80 total regular price and $60 at the sale price of 25% off if purchased in the store - I wasn't willing to get them when I saw them because you had to buy 2 shirts to get the sale price and there was only one color I really wanted.  I could have gotten free shipping ordering online but they didn't have the color I saw in the store.
Solution:  I called the store and decided to get both because I could get 25% off plus 30% off on top of that, but had to pay $6 shipping.  I was willing to break my rule of 'never pay for shipping' to get the original color I wanted.  Total I paid $47 for two shirts delivered and I had a $50 visa gift card I got for doing a survey.  Basically my purchase was free!  If I had given in to 'impulse shopping' at the store, it would have cost me $60.
Advertising people:  the average consumer is not willing to spend more than $20-$40 on impulse shopping in today's economy.  The biggest sale mistake I see, is retailers trying to make you buy more than one item to get a sale price.. such as buy one get one half off.  Consumers are aware that retailers do this to make you spend more than you intended.  If we only wanted one in the first place, we'll wait for a 20-30% off sale.  Every person I know is cutting back on unnecessary buying due to the current economy.  They think twice before purchasing an item, which basically negates the whole idea of 'impulse shopping'.  If I had one marketing recommendation, it would be to do away with sales that try to get consumers to spend more and focus on getting them to spend period.