Festivals are a time for buying new items, new clothes, home utilities and even luxury goods. Many on the shopping list are just ‘for the festival’, while many others are ‘for the future’. Since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan people go into shopping mode, whereas the ‘Sale’ tags in shopping outlets work as catalysts.
Ramadhan is a good time for businessmen of all sorts to come out with lucrative promotions to clear stocks as also to introduce new products because the volume is very high and the word ‘Sale’ act as a rewarding agent pushing the buyers to buy more than their requirements.
One can see ‘Sale’ panels pasted everywhere in the marketplace. They easily catch the eyes of Ramadhan customers. No doubt about the prices of many products, which are discounted substantially, but many casual customers fall into the trap of ‘Sale’ and they end up buying many things for cheap even if they do not need them now, later or even for years. Buying things for the festival is a necessity, it works as a mood elevator, still one should buy things which are required for the festival or even later, but not for the sake of buying under the influence of promotions being announced by the shopping outlets.
Taking advantage of ‘Sale’ is not a bad idea but falling into its trap can never be encouraged. Many buyers fall into the trap of these attractive promotions and indulge in buying things beyond their current requirements. “For the future,” they say, “because the things were so cheap,” without realising the fact that such promotions keep on coming and it is human nature not to be content when it comes to buying when money is there. It is called the ‘problem of plenty’ in economics. If there is money, it will find a way to be spent, and today’s ‘mood elevator’ can become tomorrow’s ‘mood dampener’ when the buyer realises that the stuff he purchased was not needed after some time.
The best thing to avoid this trap is to sit and make a list of requirements and then hit the market, not just go to the market and start searching for things to buy. Product promotions are designed to attract buyers, so it is best in the interest of the customers to be cautious while shopping, particularly during festivals. The idea is not to be ‘miser’ but ‘wiser’ while doing the shopping.
Customers should be careful with consumable goods because they have a shelf life. There are occasions when some business outlets keep their customers in dark while offering the goods on promotion because they have a very short shelf life.
It is advisable to draw a list and decide on a budget before shopping and give time while deciding to buy something. Reading product details, its expiry etc before rushing to the cash counter is necessary. Otherwise, people end up buying many things which they do not need and buy something, the expiry of which is just one day after.
@patkaushal
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