![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/added-items.png\")
<\/p>\nYou see something you like, and just can\u2019t keep your eyes off it. Your common sense is out the window. You begin to sweat. All you can think is how badly you want it. Right. Now.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re Black Friday shopping, and find these deals completely irresistible.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not your fault. As humans, our brains are programmed to light up when we see the words \u2018exclusive,\u2019 \u2018limited time\u2019, or \u2018special offer.\u2019 Suddenly, we go from \u2018just looking\u2019 to \u2018just charge it to my card.\u2019<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s no surprise that Americans buy into the madness of Black Friday each year. Retailers know that all too well – they do anything to convince us to swipe our cards and leave rationality behind.<\/p>\n
Their weapon of choice? Behavioral economics.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t to trash Black Friday – because who doesn\u2019t love a good sale? – but to call attention to just how easy it is to irrationally overspend. We all want to come home with killer savings, but not \u2018killer\u2019 items we realistically don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here are 6 science-backed tips to help you outsmart your irrational self\u200a\u2014\u200aand retailers\u200a\u2014\u200aon Black Friday.<\/p>\n
Picture this: You see an amazing discount for sneakers, and decide to get a pair\u200a\u2014\u200ayours are really dirty anyway. As you head towards the cash register, you spontaneously pick up socks, a small gym bag, and a headband, because they\u2019re all on sale.<\/p>\n
That pair of sneakers is called the \u201cdoorbuster\u201d -\u200a\u200abehavioral economics speak for something priced low in order to get you through the door. Its sole purpose (no pun intended) is to set you up to buy more stuff while you\u2019re there.<\/p>\n
These \u201cdoorbusters\u201d tend to work because retailers design their stores to nudge you to spend more time there, even after you found what you needed.<\/p>\n
For example, they often play slow tempo music so you\u2019ll slow down on your way to the register, according to consumer psychologist Lisa Nemeth Cavanagh.<\/p>\n
They also tend to place high-margin items at eye-level, and lead consumers on a counterclockwise journey through the store until they reach the cash register. (The Atlantic) This compels them to wander throughout the store while looking at tempting items.<\/p>\n
So how do you deal? According to Lemonade\u2019s Chief Behavioral Officer Dan Ariely, being aware of our irrationalities is the first step to stopping them. So when you\u2019re shopping, keep these biases in mind. Grab the discounted sneakers, stay strong, and make it to checkout without adding anything else to your cart.<\/p>\n
When you shop till you drop, your willpower drops, too.<\/p>\n
It usually goes like this: You begin your shopping trip fully energized. At first, you contemplate how much each items costs, how much you\u2019ll use it, and whether it fits in with your spending goals. You\u2019ll think to yourself:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis top is 50% off, but it\u2019s still expensive, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll get that much use out of it. And wait, I think i saw a cheaper version at that other department store. I\u2019ll pass\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Buying](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/buying-first-home.png\")
<\/p>\n
But after many decisions, your thought processes will probably sound more like, \u201cIt\u2019s 50%… it\u2019s a good deal\u2026 I should get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sound familiar?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just you. Making multiple decisions, one after another, is mentally draining. As time goes on, it becomes much more difficult for humans to make rational decisions, according to science.<\/p>\n
This is called \u2018decision fatigue.\u2019 Consider this: According to a study, shoppers who made more purchasing decisions throughout the day gave up the quickest when asked to solve simple arithmetic problems, social psychologist Roy Baumeister found. (The New York Times Magazine) Meaning, the more decisions we make, the more worn out our brains become.<\/p>\n
Funny enough\u200a, \u200aBaumeister\u2019s team suggested a refreshing glass of lemonade to get you back to your energized self so you can keep saving money<\/a>. Electrolytes and glucose actually increase willpower.<\/p>\n Yes, science is telling you to eat sugar when you\u2019re Black Friday shopping. Score.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be real: We love \u201cFREE!\u201d. But we don\u2019t love when retailers use \u2018FREE!\u2019 to get us to buy something we don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n Something strange happens in our brains when we see the word \u2018free.\u2019 We stop thinking clearly and go out of our way to get it.<\/p>\n Have you ever added a random pair of socks to your cart just to get free shipping? Or bought a sub-par bottle of wine just to get the second one free?<\/p>\n There\u2019s a scientific explanation for this type of consumer behavior, and retailers take full advantage of it on Black Friday.<\/p>\n Prof. Dan Ariely explains in his book Predictably Irrational<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u201cA few years ago, Amazon.com started offering free shipping of orders over a certain amount. Someone who purchased a single book for $16.95 might pay an additional $3.95 for shipping, for instance. But if the customer bought another book, for a total of $31.90, they would get their shipping FREE! Some of the purchasers probably didn\u2019t want the second book (and I am talking here from personal experience) but the FREE! shipping was so tempting that to get it, they were willing to pay the cost of the extra book.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Moral of the story? Don\u2019t make extra purchase to satisfy your need for \u2018free.\u2019 It\u2019s irrational, and that purchase will probably end up being something you don\u2019t need and never use.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a good rule of thumb: If you would\u2019ve paid the same amount whether or not \u2018free\u2019 was offered, great. But skip it if A) the offer requires you to spend more than you planned or B) the deal is part of a \u2018buy two get one free,\u2019 \u2018three for the price of one,\u2019 etc. type of offer.<\/p>\n \u201cLimited time offer\u201d Any of these sound familiar? They\u2019re some of the top tactics retailers use to create that love-to-hate feeling of FOMO.<\/p>\n Retailers often create the illusion of \u2018scarcity\u2019 when it comes to their items, because it creates a feeling of psychological arousal. If we see something\u2019s scarce, we feel a slight high, and we want it. It\u2019s the oldest trick in the book.<\/p>\n James Mourey, author of Urge, backs that up. He says presenting an item as scarce, or a deal as limited, \u200agets shoppers thinking irrationally, \u200aeven if they know they could get that same item at a better price elsewhere .<\/p>\n This is especially applicable to holidays<\/a> characterized by mega discounts such as Black Friday\u200a. Through scarcity, \u200aretailers will make you think what you\u2019re getting is worth more than what\u2019s on the price tag.<\/p>\n How to combat this? It all goes back to Prof Ariely\u2019s advice about awareness – if you walk into Black Friday with this bias in mind, you\u2019ll be much less likely to fall for these tricks.<\/p>\n3. Don\u2019t fall for \u201cFREE!\u201d<\/h3>\n
4. Tune out your inner FOMO<\/h3>\n
\n\u201cOnly 5 items left\u201d
\n\u201cValid until the 31st\u201d
\n\u201cPre-order only\u201d
\n\u201cMaximum 1 per customer\u201d<\/p>\n5. Don\u2019t stop feelin\u2019 the pain<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pain-of-purchase.png\")
<\/p>\n