Myself As the King Consumer - Essay Example

Myself As the King Consumer The minute we hit the mall intent on buying anything, we think that we are making purchasing decisions upon our free will. On the contrary, I believe that there are many other influencing factors at work as we begin to make the decision about a purchase. Everything from family traditions to the latest trending Tweet have an influence on the final purchase that we make. In my case, I find that my buying decisions for grocery items are greatly influenced by the traditional brands purchased by my family and its members.

I consider this type of influence as word of mouth and testimonials because I get my facts straight from people I know and can trust. Therefore, I believe that i cannot make a mistake when making a purchase because it comes highly recommended by trustworthy people. Then of course there are the trending Tweets when it comes to the latest trends in gadgets, fashion, accessories, music, etc. There is a whole multimedia campaign going on here just because Taylor Swift wants me to go back to 1989.

the question is, do I spend my hard earned money just on the say so of the brand marketers? As a consumer, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to purchase items because of all the outside factors that involve themselves in my purchasing decision. However, I find that once I break free from the influence of the brand marketers and my family members, I am even more lost than ever before I purchase something. Why is that? There are too many brands out there that all tout themselves to be better than the other for me to make a personal judgment about the item I wish to purchase.

This is when my purchases begin to enter the “Hail Mary” phase. I make a decision, dont look back, or allow the salesperson to sales talk me into looking at another item before I head to the cashier. I made my decision, I can only hope it was the right one. That is what purchasing decisions have come to these days. Too much influence from other sources has spoiled the shopping experience for me. I cant even buy a tube of toothpaste these days without comparing prices, checking coupons, and googling product reviews, right there in the middle of the supermarket!

That just goes to show that there is no such thing as a King Consumer anymore. These days, people know what they want, the problem, is which brand to choose. This is when the practical side of me comes into play. I believe that if I buy something too cheap, itll break within the day. If it is too expensive, I get bells and whistles that I dont really need. So I try to shoot for the middle brand. The one that does not claim to be anything other than the product that I need. I get the product with the middle price and it ends up lasting me for years.

Go figure. But that is what consumerism has come to these days. I am permanently tied into this confusing purchase carousel all because of the exterior influences that prevent me from finding the right product for me. Dont believe the sales people. I know they are just there to keep me confused so that I will buy the product that makes them a hefty commission. When a purchase is finally made, at least in my case. It is all based upon the trust that I made the right choice for myself, not considering all of the influences that surround me.

If it works, then great. If not, then it becomes a lesson learned.