Brand Loyalty, Trying Alternatives, and Buyer's Remorse

I am an avid gum chewer. I guess you could also refer to me as an addict and a chain gum chewer. I actually find gum to be essential to my survival in everyday life. Another aspect of my buying behavior is that I am very brand loyal. This is a learned behavior which I have acquired throughout the entirety of my life. For example, I only like Crest toothpaste, I only buy Sunbeam bread, and I will only use Elixir strings on my guitar.

With this seemingly random information in mind, here is a story of my recent consumer behavior that ties it all together. I will typically only buy Stride gum. Although I am not a big fan of the upgrade to Stride 2.0, I am still loyal to the brand. I like the texture of the gum over that of other brands, and the flavor lasts for a sufficient amount of time. Recently, I was in a hurry at Walmart. I was in the check out line, and realized that I needed to buy gum. I looked at the check out options, but Stride was not one of them. Since I did not have time to get out of line and go to the gum aisle, I chose an alternative. It was Icebreakers Cubes: watermelon flavor, by the way.

Soon after making this purchase and leaving Walmart, I was experiencing buyer's remorse. And by soon I mean very soon. The gum's flavor lasted until I made it out of the parking lot. This was very disappointing, and it definitely affected my future decisions to try alternatives for convenience and time saving purposes. I think I will stick to stride. I have been chewing a piece for an hour, and it still has flavor. This is what gum is supposed to be.