The disorder
compulsive shopping
affects approximately 2% of the world population.
At the Italian level, the percentage rises to 5%, up to 80% women between 30 and 40 years.
A disturbance that can worsen further during the sales and discount periods, such as the infamous Black Friday (Friday November 26) and the following Cyber Monday (Monday November 29) and also for the end of season sales.
The product offering system influences and stimulates the emotional brain (limbic system) of the buyer to buy without thinking about the consequences: the risk, for those with compulsive shopper tendencies, is to fall into an unstoppable buying mechanism.
Normally, explain the online psychologists of the TherapyChat app, when the economic value of a product drops, it loses its qualitative value for the buyer who, as the price decreases, correlates with a loss in product quality. Due to this mechanism, in the case of luxury products, the compulsive buyer prefers to buy the object at full price in order not to devalue its perceived value. The subject enslaved by this type of behavior is the victim of severe anxiety crises, panic and frustration when it does not satisfy his need to buy.
During the sales period, the situation is reversed:
the offer system promoted generates a sense of urgency among people
and pushes them to buy things they don't need, to feel at ease and not feel excluded from the sales mechanism. The feeling that something may be in short
supply also creates a false sense of need
. Being able to get the "deal" instead generates a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that activates our nucleus accumbens - the region of the brain that plays an important role in the cognitive processes of aversion, motivation, reward and in multiple mechanisms of reinforcement of the 'action.
Studies have shown that when it comes to buying a discounted product, people make
emotional, rather than rational, decisions.
because the product acquires a greater value for the buyer due to the offer (limited in time) through which it is proposed.
5 tips to overcome Black Friday without falling into the risks of compulsive shopping
1. Don't improvise:
arrive prepared.
Making a list of the things you really need and the offers you want to take advantage of can help you keep tabs on your purchases.
2. Establish a budget: setting
a spending limit is essential.
When you shop online you risk losing track of your expenses: keeping track of your purchases can therefore help to attribute them a precise economic value and to have greater awareness of them.
3. Favor Big Purchases:
Take advantage of sales to buy expensive goods.
Black Friday can be a good time to buy those items of great value that you really need and can make big savings for (for example, items of furniture or appliances).
4. Think Before You Buy:
Before you empty your cart, take a moment.
The risk during Black Friday is to get carried away by the euphoria of the sales, so it is important to stop and reflect on the items you are buying: is it something you really need?
If the answer is yes, you can proceed with the order.
5. Quality is more important than quantity: it
is important to make wise purchases.
Focusing your budget on quality items that will serve their purpose for a long time allows you to reduce the number of long-term purchases.
Avoiding buying from shops that sell low-quality items, even if at a lower price, helps to favor quality over quantity.
