Apparently, he wanted to know why I had purchased an overabundance of unsweetened almond milk, endless cans of garbanzo beans and enough Larabars to feed a small village. I stammered, shocked that a man would even take the time to go through my cupboards. Finally, I confessed – they were all on sale.
I tried to explain. I grew up rural Oregon, poor as dirt so whenever I see stuff on sale that I’ve:
1) needed in the past
2) might need again
– I have to purchase it. Let’s just say it’s in my DNA.
As it turns out, I might be right. A new poll by ShopSmart found that 76 percent of women are “bargain shoppers” – defenseless with regard to sale-priced items.
And it’s not because we’re poor either. It may actually be hardwired into our genetic code. Only 40 percent of women bargain shop because of limited cash flow, the rest just love a deal. The poll also found that 83 percent of women would seek a deal regardless of their cash situation. And 76 percent of women buy things they don’t technically “need” simply because they’re on sale.
Hence, all those garbanzo beans.
I flat out don’t believe in paying full price – for anything. If I ever have to, I suffer extreme buyer’s remorse, wracked with guilt for days. Turns out 37 percent of women are right there with me – that’s the number of gals who feel guilty paying full price too.
According to the poll, women use a variety of retailers to meet their bargain shopping needs; 93 percent use mass merchandisers, 69 percent frequent dollar stores; and 61 percent shop at discount stores. For me this translates into Ross, TJ Maxx, Trader Joe’s, Target and scanning the adverts for sale items.
How does your female bargain shopping manifest? Are your cupboards filled with sale items, too? Share your story here!
-Heather Strang
*Photo by: User:Tomomarusan (日本語: User:Tomomarusanによる撮影。) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
I am right there with you! I grew up and live in the midwest, where being "frugal" does not offend me. I shop smart, whether you call that being frugal or thrifty, but I am not a cheap-skate. Your story highlights another important aspect of how women buy. Happy shopping!
Carol,
"I shop smart" – that's the best way to describe being thrifty. Perhaps it's because women are so intelligent that they look for this?
I don't see it as much in the younger generations – my younger sisters in their early 20's don't even consider this – but those of us in our 30's + seem to be more mindful.
Thanks for sharing – look forward to seeing you on the Diva more often.
Shop on!
Heather