Shopping with intuition

The less energy we spend on basic decisions, the more energy we can spend on the hard stuff. Humans (like most animals) live by our intuition, and often listen closely to our subconscious guide. We make as many decisions as possible trusting our internal mechanisms. But due to the sophistication of marketing and the increasing utilisation of psychological tricks for capitalist gain, our internal compass has gone haywire. 

A fair trade

Shopping used to be an experience. You would walk down shops and aisles and interact with assistants. Returning something wasn’t easy, and so you really had to think about your purchase. You would test, try, compare and travel your way around until you found what you needed. It was essentially like any other vice, an escape from reality. But the best part was you had something to show for the time you spent idly browsing. You actually bought something that you needed or wanted, and could feel good about the experience as a whole. 

Selling your soul has never been easier!

Those days are almost gone. We have fast-tracked an emotionless version of shopping. No longer do you feel good about your purchases. No longer do you feel that human element when you buy something, besides the fact you know it was made by a human who lives nowhere close to you. Successful marketing campaigns have leeched off our intuition and emotion to trick us into making instant purchases. One-click ads sent directly to our emails or exploding as pop-up notifications are the latest shortcut allowing us to consume more. Advertising has an almost action movie level of production quality. We have hooked into our emotions with sensationalist advertising to create a rollercoaster of spending. We need it quick, we need it now. But really, we don’t need it at all.  

Who wouldn't want a flask disguised as an old phone?

Over this Christmas period, make sure you take a step-back. Shop over multiple days. Think
about your spending patterns. Most people are rushing to get all their shopping “over with”. But is that really what this season is all about? We must learn to stop trusting our emotions when it comes to purchases, as they have been hijacked by expensive and consistent psychological campaigns. When it comes to trusting our intuition, try not to rely on it when shopping.