Kinds of Shopper

The essay entitled “Kinds of Shoppers” is about the kinds of shoppers based on the perspective of the author. According to the author, the three kinds of shoppers are bargain hunters, pleasure seekers and social shoppers.

Bargain shoppers are people who shop at a sale price to save money. Pleasure seekers are shoppers who make shopping as a therapy, celebration and comfort. Last but not the least, are the social shoppers who treat shopping as a social activity with peers, friends or family and purchasing is optional.

Based on the essay, I could classify myself as a multi-class shopper. I am not only a bargain hunter, pleasure seeker and a social shopper, but I am also a window shopper and an impulsive shopper.

Saving money is necessary especially these days. When I go out and shop, my principle is that the price should be reasonable and quality should never be compromised. For example, I like clothes from American Eagle, Hollister Anchor Blue, or H&M, to name a few. I buy clothes from their clothing line collection because of the quality of the materials they use. However, I do not pay for the full price when I shop with these stores. The value of clothes easily depreciates in a matter of one month. When I go to these stores and I really like an item, I would wait for one month and surprisingly, it is already marked down up to 50% off.

(Here is a T-Shirt I bought from Anchor Blue. I only paid $5 for it and the original price was $20. I was able to save $15.)

I have never known a person who doesn’t like shopping. I love shopping and buying new stuffs either for myself, friends or family. I agree with the author that for pleasure seekers, shopping acts as a therapy and comfort to that person. Believe it or not, there was a time in my life that my week is not complete without buying an item. I would feel sad and down if I was not able to buy something new for myself. I need to buy anything at least one item that ranges from clothes, games, food, school supplies, or just random items. Although I am glad that I already have removed this habit since this type of habit is too expensive. (LOL laugh out loud) Seriously, I just decided to use my money wisely. With the exception of buying new things weekly, the effect of shopping as a pleasure is still true for me until now.

When I shop for myself, I like to go out alone because of the time I take when buying items. I become a social shopper when my friends and family ask me to go with them and help them decide what to buy. I appreciate that they value my opinion, but of course, ultimately it is their decision. Shopping with a group of people I know becomes our social activity and bonding. This is the time where we get to purchase and one way to update each other about our lives.

As a window shopper, I like going to the malls and looking at some items that I might buy in the future. It also helps me to compare items between stores and learn what is new in the market. For example, I would go to Game Stop and see if there were newly released games that I like. I would also go to clothing stores and see if the clothes I like are already on sale. I am a "techie" person so I also like doing window shopping for gadgets that are currently in the market such as laptops, gaming consoles, software, or cell phones.

When I window shop, sometimes I become an impulsive shopper. I buy things on impulse especially if I really like that particular item. When I go to GameStop and I see that there was a newly released Final Fantasy Game from any platform, I would buy it immediately. When I go out to the mall and browse the clearance rack, I would buy clothes I like even if I did not plan to buy clothes that day. I also buy new gadgets at an impulse if I really like to have that new technology such as a cell phone or a laptop.

(One of my Final Fantasy Collection: Final Fantasy Tactics from Square Enix. Platform is PSP)

Shopping will always be one of my favorite activities as it is with most people. I have learned to become a better and wiser shopper from time to time. I will continue to shop as long as it makes me happy and spending would not hurt my finances or savings. Lastly, I would like to share this quote to everybody, “A person who buys something he or she does not need steals from himself or herself.”