Weakness in numbers: the case for shopping alone
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Trent Hamm Guest blogger
When I鈥檓 buying groceries, I shop alone. When I鈥檓 buying household items, I shop alone. When I鈥檓 buying gifts, I shop alone. The only time you鈥檒l find me in a store with others is when circumstances practically force it on me.
It鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 anti-social 鈥� I quite like spending time with people.
It鈥檚 simply that聽shopping with others costs me money.聽It鈥檚 an expensive proposition, one I鈥檇 rather not engage in.
I think I can best explain this idea by talking about my experiences grocery shopping with my children.聽
When I鈥檓 with them, they鈥檙e constantly talking to me about something. The oldest two walk alongside me and, as young children often do, they get distracted. They wander off down the aisle when I鈥檓 comparing items.
In an effort to watch them and also make my purchase, I split my attention and I often end up buying items that aren鈥檛 the best bargain on the shelf.
Later on, we鈥檒l walk by the Pepperidge Farm goldfish, which is an item that I wouldn鈥檛 usually buy. However, those goldfish are like manna from heaven for my children, so they plead the case of buying those goldfish. Quite likely, a bag or two ends up in the cart.
At the checkout aisle, I鈥檓 watching what my children are doing, so I don鈥檛 notice that one of my items gets rung up twice. I might catch it on the receipt later, but there鈥檚 a good chance that my lack of attention costs me once again.
Similar things happen when I鈥檓 just shopping with friends. I鈥檒l engage in conversation with them and miss out on the little details. They鈥檒l subtly (or not so subtly) encourage me to buy something I wouldn鈥檛 otherwise buy.
The end result? More money spent.
I prefer to shop by myself. It鈥檚 convenient, it鈥檚 casual, and it saves me money. It often saves me time as well.
I鈥檒l save my socializing and parenting for better situations.
This post is part of a yearlong series called 鈥�365 Ways to Live Cheap (Revisited),鈥� in which I鈥檓 revisiting the entries from my book 鈥�365 Ways to Live Cheap,鈥� which is available聽at Amazon聽and at bookstores everywhere.聽
