Maybe I'm Still 8 Years Old

Today I got out of a final presentation in my Marketing Research class, and after a little break at Specs to celebrate (woohoo!) I wondered what to do with the rest of the beautiful afternoon. Sitting in my living room, a friend made a list of all the things we could do, which consisted of (but not limited to): sleeping, eating, sneezing, fainting, couching, hopscotch, jumping, drinking. . . the list goes on. Of course, hopscotch caught my attention and I said, lets go get fuzzy pictures to color!
Now, I know that we are supposed to outgrow certain interests and consumption behaviors and usually by my age, maybe I should be more enticed by a more "mature" after-school activity, but I'll tell ya-- an afternoon sitting on the front porch and coloring a velvet poster with markers... not much beats it.

Consumption of the Ridiculous

American's are notorious for being somewhat gluttonous in our consumption of... well, pretty much everything. Especially with those being constantly put in the media (the rich and famous), it becomes second nature to say, well of course Jay Leno has spent millions of dollars on cars, and yeah, so what that girl in your class owns 50 pairs of boots?

It gets to a point where people are simply consuming for the sake of consuming. It is engrained in our culture that to spent thousands of dollars on unnecessary, frivolous material possessions is actually a thing to be admired, and even set as a goal. Watching things like MTV's Cribs, I am sure there a thousands of adolescents aspiring to have a photo of themselves in the bottom of their pool like Rick Ross.

However, with our ridiculous consumption habits it shouldn't be surprising that Pizza Hut is coming out with Hot Dog stuffed pizza crusts and this latest creation-- the Crown Royal Cheeseburger pizza, with mini cheeseburgers as the crust! Look appetizing?

But here is the surprising part-- these over the top pizza creations aren't even available in the U.S.! They are currently offered in some parts of the Middle East and in the U.K. Hate to admit it, but I'm kinda curious about the cheeseburger pizza...

Coachillin'

I usually don't think that social media really influences my consumption habits. And maybe by businesses directly marketing to me, yeah, it doesn't seem too effective. But activities and events are definitely effective at getting to me through social media. I haven't been able to get on Facebook in two weeks without crying inside because of all the Coachella posts and I am sad I missed it this year.

With all the posts and buzz and hype on social media about Coachella, it definitely influences me to save up so I can go again next year.

Desperate situations

An evil cold virus has decided to descend upon me and never leave, and I was forced to give in to the purchase of cold medicine earlier this week. Generally, I try to avoid the use of medicine and simply fight through the sickness with some peppermint tea and hot showers, but as the pressure set in behind my eyeballs and I found it impossible to pay attention in class, I figured I needed to explore other options.

Of course, serious cold medicines-- the good ones that you have to ask the pharmacist for-- are a specialty product that CVS can charge whatever they want for. Thus my splurge money for Pond Skim has now been lost to an ounce of decongestant nasal spray. In this situation, my consumption behavior was forced by an inconvenient timing of a nasty cold. I wish I could have saved my money for funner things (Beer Fest anyone?) but I suppose, desperate times call for desperate measures. And this way I will get to enjoy Pond Skim without grossing everyone out with my phlegm.

Summertime and the Livin's Easy

As summer is fast approaching, I notice I am much more susceptible to marketing ploys that play into the idea of summer. Summery colors, commercials and advertisements with images of outdoors and happy people outside, shorts, floral patterns, and bikinis seem to call my name.

 “Buy me, buy me—it will make summer so much closer” the flip-flops cry to me from the shelves. Of course advertisers, merchandisers, and store managers all know this and plan their packaging, ads, and store layout accordingly.

Once again, I feel as though both I and the marketing geniuses win in this case. They get to make more money because I feel the urge to spend money on things that I don’t really need—but I feel better because of it. It makes me feel closer to summer, whether or not it’s true. So where’s the harm in that? Besides that maybe my wallet is a little lighter after I leave the store. 

Rationalizing Spending

After looking more carefully at my consumption behavior over the past week, I realize how much rationalization comes into play when making purchasing decisions.
Normally, if I came across an $8 slice of cheesecake, I wouldn't think that it was worth my money. However, last week I encountered an $8 slice of raspberry white chocolate truffle cheesecake and rationalized, "I'm on vacation!" and swiped my debit card without a second thought. The rationalizations of "I'm on vacation", "It's spring break!" and "I'll save my money after break" were commonly occurring thoughts when spending money over the past week.

Even if the purchases I was making weren't in my best interest ($10 margarita anyone?) I was able to make sense of them, and thus relieve myself of any dissonance I would normally feel about spending that much money. I have a feeling that I am not the only one who is feeling a little guilty looking at my bank statement after spring break.

Resolutions and Their Impact on Consumption

What is it about the impending Spring Break that seems to make the gym so much busier?
The same thing that occurs after every bout of New Year's resolutions, I suppose.

Right before an event, like Spring Break or class reunions, the idea of looking your best becomes highly salient, which in turn leads to things such as working out, eating healthy, getting nails and hair done, etc. However, once the event passes it often leads to reverting back into old habits.

I definitely won't complain once spring break passes, as I much preferred my uncrowded spinning classes from before the idea of wearing a swimsuit on the beach became salient to the masses.