Do you have 'transactional utility'? - YouLookFab Forum

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Do you have 'transactional utility'?

deb

Veteran

So, apparently marketers are also psychologists.

http://www.whowhatwear.com/res.....on?ps=home

This is not new to me but I believe it is becoming more blatant. What about you?

Shopping

15 replies

Latest reply was from DonnaF

rabbit

Veteran

I think so! For sure a great part of the enjoyment I take in shopping is in getting a price that is within my comfort zone and knowing my enjoyment of fashion isn't causing any imbalance in my finances. But I think it's a sliding scale and the comfort zone is individual.

For example (full-priced) Zara is still above my range. Also if one ALWAYS shops sales (I think I bought 3 full price items last year?) than sales goggles work differently. For example when I first found YLF I went to a 35 cent thrift sale and sales goggles were at work. Most of those items were consigned or donated later (I think I actually made a profit overall funnily enough). But now, it's more a question of do I really LOVE it and is it needed/key to the wardrobe than how much it costs (once it's in my price zone).

Dimity

Well, I would have only bought a handful of new clothing items in the past year, but it works for me at thrift shops too. I agree that it's becoming more problematic over time. There is always something new and different out there. I have read a few things (I can't remember where now, sorry!) saying that marketers will become society's outcasts when people get tired of being manipulated and realise that over-consumption has ruined the planet and destroyed their children's future, but I think that's shooting the messenger in a sense. We don't have to listen and we can find strategies to overcome marketing ploys.

kkards

Veteran

yes, this is the lesson that jcpenny learned the hard way…..we are wired for "bargains", even if they really aren't.
and yes, i'm guilty as well, as i need to remind myself, just because i can afford it, doesn't mean i need it.

Anonymous

I realize that this has been a problem for me in the past. I am combating it by avoiding sales. I know that sales equal savings, but too often for me, those same sale items turned in orphans.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I do get pleasure from finding a great deal but it is usually restricted to the exact item I had intended to buy regardless of the deal. I don't know that that would qualify. It is interesting and I do believe that shopping can become a habit or be used to fill in time. It is very much like eating when one is bored or unoccupied.

ETA: I thought an example might add clarity. When I bought my new house, the light I wanted for the eating area off the kitchen was $400 locally. I found the same light (brand, model, and finish) online for about $275 from a reputable supplier. I didn't get satisfaction from finding a light fixture on sale but rather the light fixture at a much better price.

I see a significant difference between buying multiple items because they are on sale and buying a specific item when it is on sale.

Summer

Veteran

Psychology and marketing go hand in hand, to great effect. I like to think that we consumers have become more savvy recently, but it's hard to dodge those marketing ploys entirely. I recognise that feeling of excitement when I check the tag of something I like, and am pleasantly surprised by the price; but it's always that way round - I have to love the item first, and know that it will be used or worn. If it's a bargain, great, but that's not my first consideration.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Hmm. I don't think all of us are 'hardwired for bargains'. I tend to avoid them, mainly because if something's on sale, I can't help but wonder what's wrong with it. We've had this discussion before, and it turns out that there are a number of reasons why things go on sale, or why things are sold cheaply, and usually there's nothing wrong with the item. But I can't help feeling, perhaps a little irrationally, like a 'bargain' is never really a bargain. I'm much more likely to wear and enjoy something that I paid full price for.

One thing I do know about myself is that I'm not the gambling type. Maybe this plays into my attitude. I don't think I'm immune to bargaining ploys, though. I'm more likely to fall into the opposite trap of thinking that if something costs more, it must be better -- when often that's not true! Often the extra cost is due to heavy brand marketing.

frannieb

Veteran

Interesting concept. Before you look Fab I was a notorious shopper of sales and buying because it is just so cheap.
After purging my closet and realizing how many of these sale clothes got worn once and I was then moving on - I have really curbed my habits.

Learning to work my wardrobe and think in terms of capsules has helped me not purchase so much.

Now I mostly buy at the beginning of the season at full price and it has to fit a plan. My closet has the least amount of clothes ever and it feels the best.

Also learning to really know my style has helped - it is much easier to appreciate on others and know it does not fit my style persona

rabbit

Veteran

I see a significant difference between buying multiple items because they are on sale and buying a specific item when it is on sale. -- what Dianthus said really rings home to me.

I have a short running list of specific items I'm looking for (usually not by brand, but by color, cut, material, etc.), and a mental ballpark of what I'm willing to pay for each. Then I go out hunting for matches. Wildcards sometimes come home (or they don't, I usually go home and think about it for a day or so and then go try it on again if it seems like it will get worn often).

But I think maybe most people have their kryptonite, the kind of thing that they tend to always be attracted to, and have to keep in their mind how many they already have at home to avoid buying more. For me this is certain kinds of prints, and when retail stores (or thrift) turn over their selection often, it encourages me to keep coming back to see what's new.

Peri

Veteran

I'm with Aziraphale! Not that I really think something is wrong with it, but I just get this feeling that if it is cheap, it must be cheap. Don't know if that makes any sense. I see a low price and I figure, that must be all the item is worth, and then I don't want it anymore.

I'm sure there is a name for that too, and it is likely every bit as much a marketing manipulation as the other way. And I have definitely had a few experiences where price really did not match quality. It's just a gut reaction that taints my shopping decisions.

Now, that said...I definitely get happy when I see something I wanted go on sale! But that's when I wanted it anyway, and yay, now can afford it.

Anonymous

I never look at the price tag until I find a garment I like on the hanger and then on me. At that point I don't worry about the price since I know it will get worn and not just hide in the deep recesses of my closet. If the item happens to be on sale, well that is just a big plus for me and I may buy 2, each in a different color.

My DH is someone who will go crazy when he thinks he will get a great deal. As I pointed out to him that the higher priced shirt I bought him for Christmas has received more washings than the cheapo shirt he got at an outlet store and has been his go to shirt almost every week. Plus it has not shrunk or faded like the cheapo shirts. I think after all these years he has become a convert.

Anonymous

I'm somewhere in the middle, I think. I don't overlook something just because it has a low price tag; but that's because I do my homework and know how much something costs and is worth at full price. If I know that the bargain I'm looking at is worth it, I pounce. If not, I pass. It takes discipline, but there's no economy in bringing home cheaply made stuff, whether it's clothing or anything else.

Staysfit

Veteran

I'm not really a bargain hunter. I'm a hunter for items I like. My issue is liking too many items! Expensive items, not bargains!

tulle

Veteran

I definitely do look for bargains--not so much the cut-rate designer knock-offs, because I find that, as I get older, I need the support of better quality clothes to look OK most of the time--but expensive, interesting things found on sale or second-hand. Last year I decided to seek out certain luxury brand items, and to buy them if I could find them at steep enough discounts. I made some lucky finds (an unusual Catherine Malandrino ivory leather jacket, Isabel Marant jacket & pants in a dreamy blue gray cotton twill, a soft Botkier coral leather satchel) that have given me much pleasure in the searching, buying, and wearing. So, the thrill of "transactional utility?" I guess so, though I prefer to think of it as a treasure hunt.

DonnaF

Veteran

I've learned not to go into stores w/DD because it leads to impulse purchases and the wearing of sales/price goggles. What works better for me is seeing stuff I like (mostly on Nordstrom.com), putting it in/on my Wish List, waiting for it to be marked down before ordering, and then keeping it there for at least two weeks after ordering. I was still contemplating a chambray shirtdress ($69) when it sold out, but I kept it on the Wish List in the hope that it might come back into stock. I got it for $41.40, but it was marked down again to $27.60 so I called today for a price adjustment. Same thing happened with the $49 VC splatter Ts that I bought for $29.40. I was still contemplating returning the second colorway since I'm trying not to duplicate, but since it was marked down to $19.60 I am keeping both, especially since Nordstrom marked down both colors for me.

I buy only two or three things per year from Nordstrom that AREN'T on sale (other than makeup from obscure brands), and those I try to buy on Triple Points. I am waiting for some Halogen pullovers, Vince Camuto jeans, and Caslon casual dresses to go on sale, not because I particularly think they are too expensive but because I know items in those brands will eventually be marked down and I can wait. If they run out in my size, they run out -- but that rarely happens. I am also hoping that somewhere the Fossil belts I have in my Wish List will be marked down so I can buy them price-matched for 15 - 25% off instead of full price. Finally, I am waiting for NAS to stock up on lingerie wash because I've learned it always gets marked down then. If it looks like it won't last until then, I will try out their powder wash for full price during their May Triple Points.

Can you tell I'm a loyal Nordstrom shopper?