FOMO vs. buyers' remorse - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

FOMO vs. buyers' remorse

KikiG

Veteran

Which would you rather have? Fear of missing out (FOMO) or regret spending money on something?

This weekend, I bought what for me are **really** expensive shoes.

I bought them because:
a) a summer shoe in this category is an outfit maker for me, and I've been looking and looking and ordering and sending back, and nothing has worked.
b) my feet hate me and hate shoes, but they REALLY liked this shoe. (Stupid, annoying fussy feet.)
c) I will wear this shoe multiple seasons (I wear even inexpensive shoes multiple seasons, and take them to the shoe shop, if they like my feet, because shoe shopping isn't fun because my feet hate me.) This particular shoe will last a longer than typical time, because it isn't actually hide-with-hair (as animal print shoes often are) it is a printed on pattern, which is more durable and less subject to hair wearing off from friction.
d) The decider: In this particular case, the future ongoing frustration of "the one that got away" because I wouldn't pay for it was estimated by me as greater than the possible regret of spending the money. Generally, I only buy expensive things if they are overwhelmingly perfect, which means I almost never regret them and wear them often and with high happiness. My donation bin is full of things I bought at resale or on sale, not my occasional splurges.

Meg Slide Sandal

View Info

Top Pick

4

Shopping

34 replies

Latest reply was from Jenni NZ

DeAnna

Those are beautiful shoes. I am sure they will be in style forever.

Joy

Veteran

Those look like classic shoes both in style and leopard is always around. Remember that leopard can be a neutral. if your feet like them, you did the right thing buying them and you will have the cost-per-wear down to pennies. The fact that you will wear them in more than one season is a bonus. Enjoy them.

Style Fan

Veteran

Those are gorgeous sandals. My feet have multiple problems. I have bought many pairs of shoes thinking they would work out and they didn`t. If a pair of shoes works then I would go for them.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

KILLER, and I bet gorgeous on you. They have a high longevity factor.

I just about lead team fussy feet so I get it! I will spend the money and take the time to find what I need. I find what I need across a range of price points, and PG is a GREAT brand.

I never suffer from FOMO. Is that weird? There will be something else eventually.

ChristelJ

Veteran

Buyer's remorse scares me. I avoid it by being very selective when buying new and by thrifting much of my wardrobe. However, one of my truisms is that I have never regretted buying shoes that make my feet feel good, no matter the price. The fact that these are beautiful, versatile, timeless AND feel good AND you will wear multiple seasons, well, sounds like you have made a very good decision here. I'm happy for you!

Runcarla

Veteran

I hate buyers remorse more than FOMO, and am the queen of deferred gratification! If I do succumb to a rash purchase, I have no concerns over making a return - if it is possible, and if I do have to pass it along, I tend to forget bad feelings pretty quickly. I tend to labour long and hard over spendy items, but agree with you that when they are good, they can be very, very good.

Anonymous

Buyer's remorse is the worst, and I've experienced a lot of it. FOMO - nah. As Angie said, there will always be something else. These sandals are very classic yet interesting, and I'm sure you won't regret spending the $. And I hear you , in Cdn $ , they are indeed pricey for me too.

Jane

Veteran

Gorgeous sandals. I would definitely have FOMO in this instance.

nemosmom

Veteran

Buyer's remorse is the worst for me - especially on big ticket items.Those shoes are super cute and if your fussy feet love them, how can you say no?!

Anonymous

I lean towards accepting the FOMO because I forget about most inappropriately expensive clothing pretty easily BUT this doesn't sound like that to me.
If I were describing your choice I'd say the difference is between feeling kind of extravagant OR letting yourself down by leaving behind a great looking, high quality, super well fitting pair of shoes.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Finding comfortable cute shoes is the best. I will spend more on shoes than anything else.
I have very challenging feet to find shoes for. Most of the time I can’t find anything that fits that I want, even at Nordstrom. And I’ll settle for looks 6 fit 9 or 10.
I do occasionally regret a purchase. It is rare when I regret not buying something.

Anonymous

Love those sandals (and tempted to lemming since not calf hair)! Usually I don't get Fomo, but often buyers remorse.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I accept FOMO pretty easily. I feel like Angie, Lisap, Isabel and Suntiger on this. There will pretty much always be something else good. The manufacturers make too many clothes and shoes in this world anyway.
I have had buyers remorse a number of times because even something I think I really really want, if I pay a lot for it, I sometimes find I don’t wear as much as I think I will. If that happens when it has been on substantial discount, I feel better about it, because I have a fear of “wasted” money. Less money is “wasted” if it was cheaper.
They are beautiful sandals so I hope they make you really happy and that you wear them heaps!

Sal

Veteran

I rarely have FOMO- I can only think of one or two pieces ever that I should have snapped up.

I have had buyers remorse- every year there is at least one piece that was a mistake or wears poorly. Currently have a couple of these!!

I like the sandals and hope they work out well.

Bennett

Veteran

Ouch, those are pricey to me for sandals. But for all the reasons you have listed, I say money well spent. Take good care of them and wear them often and admire your feet in them and toss your hair and think "I'm worth it!!!!"

Anonymous

Fascinating question. ChristelJ expressed my sentiments. I suffer from buyer's remorse, however, I have never regretted buying shoes that fit my feet comfortably. Based on your post, I could make the case that you really had no choice. You need shoes. You need shoes that fit and don't cause you pain. They are gorgeous shoes. I'm glad you found them.

rachylou

Veteran

Cute shoes!

Tbh, I get much sadder from FOMO than Buyer’s Remorse. It’s the whole to ‘try and fail is better than to never have tried at all thing.’

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Those shoes are exactly the sort of thing I would splurge on - and have done so over the years without regret. I don't really suffer from FOMO because as Angie says something else always comes along.

Bijou

Veteran

I am with Shevia. Shoes that are comfortable and attractive are hard to come by. PG is one of the few brands I buy and rarely regret buying their shoes as most have been complete workhorses.

unfrumped

Veteran

Typically I have FOMO with “ sales goggles “ for items I don’t really need.

I have I think 6 pairs of PG shoes or booties,, more than half bought at full price and most are the most expensive shoes I had ever bought, and all have been worn in 3-4 seasons for multiple years— no regrets now.

I had FOMO for several other PG boots/ shoes more recently, so ordered , but they did not fit as well as ones I have even though others loved them, so was strict about sending back.

Helena

Veteran

Sounds like you made a wise and well-thought-out decision with these shoes!

I'll take FOMO over buyer's remorse any day ... Not that I never make a bad purchase! But FOMO just needs a quick attitude check, whereas buyer's remorse hits the real world too, in wasted money and resources.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I rarely have FOMO if I’ve examined whether a purchase really suits me — I often need to satisfy my curiosity though.

Plenty of buyers remorse, though I’m better at avoiding that than I used to be. I’ve been back to my old discount shopping ways, which helps — a $30 potential wild card is way easier to stomach as a failed experiment than a $300 one.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oops, meant to add, the shoes are cute, and I think money is well spent when it is on something classic and well-made for which you have a hard time fitting (for you, shoes; for me, pants). Well done!

bj1111

Veteran

So fomo.

I do have buyers remorse more frequently when I purchase clothing away from home and can’t return easily.

Joyce B

Veteran

I have a biased opinion as I own the same shoes. I waited a little but then ordered because I really love them. I hope you will keep and enjoy them.

LaPed

Veteran

FOMO doesn't bother me; almost everything shows up on eBay or similar eventually if I miss out at retail.

I also use the resale/consignment strategy to mitigate buyer's remorse. I try to move duds and mistakes out of the house while they still have some resale value.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

When there’s something tempting me, I feel fomo, but it’s unlikely to linger the way buyers remorse does for me.

SarahD8

Veteran

"FOMO doesn't bother me; almost everything shows up on eBay or similar eventually if I miss out at retail." -- La Ped is right!

The problem for me is eBay or other secondhand-related FOMO. Because usually there's only one and that's it for a while at least!

But I remind myself that if I've missed out on something, there's usually a reason I was hesitating to buy it anyway (e.g., I was worried that the color wouldn't be quite right, etc.). And that usually quiets the mind down.

Echo

Veteran

I don't really experience FOMO. It is awfully rare that something is truly irreplaceable. Buyer's regret is worse for me, having to look at something I've seldomly worn in the donate bin.

12