Just about everyone who shops has experienced buyer’s remorse at one point or another. You know the feeling. One minute you’re making a carefree purchase, then the next minute you’re thinking “omg, WHY did I think that was a good idea??”
I’m no stranger to the guilt and regret of bad purchases. Along the way, I’ve learned some key strategies that have helped me avoid more bad buying decisions. I hope these tips help you, too.
1 | Check in with your emotions
Before you hit “purchase,” ask yourself why you’re shopping. Are you bored? Hungry? Stressed? Lonely? Shopping because you’re emotional can very easily lead to poor decision making, which means less-than-great purchases.
If you’re feeling good and you’re making a level-headed decision, go ahead and proceed. If you can identify some emotions stirring around in there, use the next tip.
2 | Hit pause
Every time you’re about to hand over your credit card or hit “add to cart,” pause. And I mean really pause.
Once you identify an item you’re thinking of buying, make a mental note of it. Wait at least until the next day before you actually buy it, and see if you still want it later.
Chances are, a lot of your buying urges will fade away. On top of that, when you separate yourself from the excitement of that moment, you might realize that the purchase isn’t such a great idea after all, or you’ll notice something about it you’d overlooked the first time. Start experimenting with a shopping waiting period and see how it affects your buying habits.
Although I don’t have a firm rule, I typically wait anywhere from 1 day to 1 week before buying. I’ve definitely noticed that when I don’t use this rule and instead buy immediately, I tend to make bad decisions.
By the way, the pause is an especially important rule when you’re buying big-ticket items. Impulsive buying combined with high prices are a recipe for disaster. Make sure you’ve given yourself enough time to appropriately consider your purchase before jumping in.
3 | Avoid non-returnable purchases
Anything that you can’t return is asking for trouble. Whenever I see “final sale,” I’m extra critical about whether what I’m considering would be a wise purchase.
To be more specific, I have a mental list I go through to evaluate that purchase. One or more of the following should be true: I’ve already tried it out and I know I like it, I’ve already applied the pause rule, and I’m not shopping emotionally. The more of those things that are true, the safer the purchase is. If none of those things are true, walk away!
4 | Avoid tight return periods
On a similar note, even things you can return can easily get you in trouble.
Be honest with yourself: do you have the time and energy to return your purchase if you don’t like it? If you’re going to need to repackage the item, print out postage, and go to the post office, are you too busy to do that? If you’d have to drive to the mall during rush hour, would you be willing to do that?
It’s too easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security with return policies. Yes, you could return it, but will you?
For example, right before we left for our wedding and honeymoon, I made quite a few purchases. One problem: I was incredibly busy getting ready for the trip and finalizing details. As a result, I had neither the time nor energy to decide on whether those purchases were worth keeping. I didn’t have time to actually pack them back up and send them back, either.
Unfortunately, by the time I got back from the trip, it was too late to make a return. Even worse, those purchases weren’t cheap. Looking back, it’s easy to see where I went wrong, and I wish I had thought harder before hitting “buy.”
Now that I’ve learned my lesson, I try to be more honest with myself about the time I will need to make a good decision after the item arrives. I try to be mindful of what I have on my plate and whether I will be able to free up the time and mental energy to make that keep-or-return decision.
5 | Try it on multiple times
I do almost all of my shopping online (#smalltownproblems), and this tip is especially important for those purchases.
Sometimes, the moment I pull something out of the package and try it on, I know it’s wrong for me. Maybe the fit is wrong, or I don’t like the fabric, or the color looks different in person.
For things where I’m not so sure, or even things where I plan to keep it, I avoid making my decision immediately. Instead, I wait a day or two and try it on again. Sometimes small factors like the mood you’re in or even small fluctuations in body shape (e.g., water retention) can change how you feel about what you’re wearing. I can think of so many times where I wasn’t quite sure whether to keep or return something, but after trying it on a second time a couple days later, I instantly knew what to do.
Even if your purchase isn’t clothes, you can still use the general concept of this rule. Before taking off the tags and throwing away the packaging, wait a couple days and be sure it’s right for you before you commit.
This is such a great read – thank you for posting! We have a new baby at home so shopping has definitely been rushed lately. I can so relate to telling myself something can be returned, so just get it – then being sorry soon after when it’s not quite right & I can’t leave the house b/c of just me & my LO at home during the daytime to handle any returns/exchanges.
Yeah that definitely makes things tricky! And with a new baby, I’m guessing you probably don’t want to spend all your free time doing chores like returns anyway. :)
I definitely feel you on the small town/online shopping, too lazy to return issue!
Oh yeah, gets me in trouble all the time!
I’m definitely guilty of #4. One of many #smalltownproblems is not having a store or drop off for FedEx/UPS anywhere near by, and it seems a lot of the free returns I see use one of those two companies. Making a drop off requires going to the neighboring (larger) town, which means you’ll wait till you have several errands to run before you go, which means you totally forget to bring your return package when you finally go.
I mean, you can use USPS, but generally you have to pay for it :(
Oh that doubly rots. :( We at least have drop boxes here–the next largest town is over 2 hours away, so it’d be a real problem if that was the closest dropoff, haha. I agree that the best case scenario is just dropping it in your mailbox, but it usually doesn’t work out that way. :(
Also, this is relevant: http://i.imgur.com/MInTlgb.jpg :)
Yep, that’s me everytime!
I live in London and I still prefer online shopping! No one else like store staff can make decisions except me. I’ve also stopped returning online purchases in store and just post it back as I always always always get asked at the store if I want to look around and exchange an item instead of returning it. I must just have sucker written all over my face or something ha!
But great advice on hitting pause. This definitely works for me. Often after a week I lose the urge to buy and gives me time to think about why I want it, what activities I will use it for and how many other tops/bottoms that I have in my closet already.
Love this post:-)
Yup that’s exactly my thinking on the pause. Often I’ll realize there’s some reason it won’t work, like color or functionality or whatever. It’s definitely saved me a lot of $$!
Just burned myself on #3. Caught a super cute pair of leggings from Vie Active on final sale, but when they came, the 7/8 length was meant for higher up the leg. So on my 5’2″ frame, it gaps really badly at the ankle. Now I’m stuck. Resell? Try to get them altered? (has anyone had luck with that??)
I alter most of my leggings because I’m short and I have absolutely tiny ankles. All leggings bag at the ankles. It’s a quick alteration if you have a tailor who’s good with stretch fabrics. It costs me no more than $10, usually $5. And I have a wicked legging habit so I am there a lot…
Thanks! I was worried because the stitching on the inseam looks complicated… though I suppose not for a professional.
My habit is only just beginning. :-)
Ugh I hate that. :( If you do decide to go the tailor route, be sure you ask the seamstress if she is able to do flatlocked seams (which is the style on most activewear). It requires special equipment so not all tailors are able to do it, and it’d be a double bummer if you ended up with a pair of ruined pants. :(
Personally, I usually try the resell route first. If I don’t get any bites then I reassess. Alterations are such a risky business that I try to avoid them when I can.
All great tips Suzanne! I do find it hard to apply the wait rule if I’m looking at items that will likely sell quickly, like special collaborations or other hyped up releases. But for those I’ll look at preview photos of the whole collection and make an initial list and go back multiple times to pare it down. For everything I buy, I envision how I’d wear or use it and if I don’t have much occasion for it or already own a very similar piece then I wont buy it. It also helps to know what cuts, styles, and colors work well for you. And I 100% agree with trying something on multiple times, and ideally at least a day apart if possible!
And one last resort option: if you can’t return an item some credit cards offer purchase protection where you’re refunded for an item you’d like to return but can’t. A lot of the premier cards like Amex Platinum and Citi Prestige have this feature up to 90-120 days after purchase. I think it may also work for items you’ve already used or have tags detached but I’m not 100% sure. Those cards have high annual fees but they have lots of other benefits that pay for themselves in my opinion!
Wow I had no idea that was something you could do with credit cards! Clever. :) I agree that things that sell out quickly can be very tricky to navigate! Those have been both some of my best and my worst purchases, haha.
I tend to just not branch out and try new things vs. just buying new colors/patterns that I know I like. And I also have a purge rule, so if I buy something and I can’t think of something that I like less to purge because I bought it, then back it goes.
I mostly try to resist my bad habit, which is buying multiple pairs from places like KDeer or werkshop. I might love five or six patterns but real talk time, I need zero, so that means I can have one. It makes me work a little harder to pick the one I know I’ll like vs just buying everything that appeals to me.
Love your purge rule. It’s definitely revealing to think of something new in the context of whether it’s better than other things you already have. I’m my very good at your “just buy one” rule, though…definitely something I need some practice with! Maybe I should try to do that with new spring things. :)
I just got bitten by #3, sigh. Someday I will remember that a lot of things that look cutely oversized on models just tend to look super frumpy on me in real life…
One thing I purchased recently expecting to return was Alala’s everyday hoodie, but I tried it on and holy crap! It is sooooo comfortable! Does the inside stay soft and smoothly fleecey after washing, or does it start to pill up? I’m always so sad when my soft fleece things start to pill…
I know it’s soooo soft! I love mine. I’ve had it for just under a year, and it’s still fleecy and soft on the inside, but the cuffs/sleeves have pilled a little bit on the outside. Hope that helps. :)