Different Types of Shoppers
Shopping is a usually stereotyped as a female pastime. How many times are commercials shown where men are sitting around watching a sporting event on television and their wives or girlfriends are out taking advantage of a sale? Women often squeal over shopping and men often avoid it. However, everyone has to shop, if by necessity only. We all need food to survive, and we have to clothe ourselves and furnish our homes. While seemingly trite in nature, shopping is actually one of the factors that helps to fuel economies.
People shop in a variety of different way and for millions of different items every day. The availability of online shopping has even allowed more people access to be powerful consumers from their own homes. If you have ever sat and people watched at the mall, like I have, it is easy to pick out trends in shoppers after awhile. While most everyone shops, I have narrowed down the different types of shoppers into four categories: bargain shoppers, trend shoppers, necessity shoppers, and returns shoppers. Bargain shoppers are shoppers who are constantly on the look for deals and great buys.
These shoppers talk about shopping all the time. If complimented on an item of apparel, the bargain shopper, instead of saying thank you and smiling, will quickly ramble off where she got it and how much she paid for it, “Target. $1.99. Couldn’t pass it up. ” Bargain shoppers shop as a hobby, not necessarily because they really need something. They shop at least once a week and try to hit as many stores as possible, but if they have time, they will stop in a store every day to buy something that it on sale or to compare prices on items they are considering buying.
Bargain shoppers shop at all kinds of stores from major department stores to small privately owned retail shops. They are also the first customers at garage sales, scouring for great bargains and often bargaining for even lower prices. They will also come back on the last day of the sale to try to find a deal on what is left. They are also the shoppers who will try to buy the display items or get a discount for a missing button. They never pay full price. They also visit outlet malls and will drive great distances to see what kind of bargains are offered at different shopping venues.
Completely opposite from the bargain shoppers are the trend shoppers. These shoppers are always on the lookout for the new things. You will find the trend shoppers shopping at all of the hot, youthful stores.
They seek popular items that many times go out of style rather quickly, so these shoppers are also shopping quite a bit. Some trend shoppers spend big money. If complimented on their attire, trend shoppers will reply something along the lines of, “totally hot, don’t you think so? I got this in NYC at this exclusive little boutique that Paris Hilton shops in. It cost me a fortune, but hey, it’s sooooooooooo worth it.”
Trend shoppers will buy things as soon as they come out to ensure that they get one and get the best. Once that item goes on clearance, they have already discarded it and are shopping the new stock looking for that next hot item. These shoppers frequent such stores as Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Gap, Banana Republic, and Buckle. However, trend shoppers can do it on a budget as well. The name brand is not always as important as the look, so thriftier trend shoppers can be caught shopping at stores like Target, Deb, Value City Department Stores, and Burlington Coat Factory. EBay is a godsend to the trend shopper.
They can not only find hard to find items in their area, they can usually get them at a decent price. Next there are the necessity only shoppers, better known as “the haters”. These shoppers literally hate to shop and will go only as far as absolutely necessary to get the items they need. These shoppers are seldom spotted in shopping malls, and if they do have to go to one, they are the ones who are power walking, looking straight ahead, with frowns on their faces. Necessity shoppers hate to travel to shop, and will get everything as locally as possible to save time and gas money.
If they have to make a larger purchase out of town, they have already pre-researched the options and already have the specific item in mind, with cash in hand, ready to buy it. The haters don’t spend extra time perusing different items in the store or looking for accessories. They downright dislike shopping altogether and think it is a huge waste of time and money. Necessity only shoppers hate to part with money. They either don’t have it to spend or they are saving it to buy something more substantial like a home, automobile, or boat.
These shoppers, or non-shopper rather, are really the smartest of the types of shoppers and the most disciplined. They often will turn down attending events at any mall such as comedy clubs or watching sporting events at bars because they dislike shopping venues so much.
Necessity only shoppers often earn nicknames like “tightwad” or “cheap”. Finally, the most pathetic of all shoppers are the returns shoppers, people who really can’t afford to shop, but do anyway. They buy things to make themselves feel better or like they CAN buy them, but then have to take them back within a week due to monetary situation.
I, myself, do this on a regular basis when I have no money and want to feel like I do. I know, pathetic. Returns shoppers are well known at customer service desks across the nation and salespeople fear them. With commissions at risk all through the mall, the returns shoppers have the longest wait time for customer service of any of the shoppers. When approached, they casually tell salespeople that they do not need help, “No, I’m just looking; thank you. ” Then they begin to pile the merchandise in their arms.
They go to the cash wrap with anywhere from fifty to three hundred dollars worth of merchandise. They have not tried the clothing on or sought out items that are on sale. They will immediately regret this when they get home. Some returns shoppers don’t even take the merchandise out of the bags because they know they are just going to take it back. Other returns shoppers buy things with the hope that they will be able to keep it and will hold on to the merchandise for as long as thirty days or until they need the money badly enough, kind of like a savings account of sorts.
Shopping is necessary. Some people actually enjoy to shop, making dates with their family, friends or significant others to spend the day spending money. Others loathe shopping. But between the lovers and haters, there are four main classifications of shoppers: the savvy bargain shoppers, the hip, stylish trend shoppers, the necessity shoppers (also known as the haters), and the “I wish I were rich” returns shoppers. Shopping really seems like such a trite subject, but it is a major contributing factor in a nation’s economy. It takes all types to make shopping work!
