Black Friday! So much fun

I have probably been going shopping on black friday for at least five years now. I go with many family members. Its kinda a family tradition on both sides of the family. I go with my mom's side of the family. So after the big Thanksgiving dinner we will get the ads out and start looking to see where we need to shop and were we need to go first to get the big sale items. Each year it is usually my mom, aunt Linda, aunt Donna, cousin Hannah and Mollie, and my two sisters Jolinda and Judy, and myself. This year was a little different because my sister Jolinda wasn't able to go with us. She had one of her best friends since high school getting married. It was interesting because it was so quiet this year because of her not being there, and it seemed like we were as organized because of her not being there. So to make up for her not being there on black friday, my mom, sister Judy and her two boys, my sister Jolinda and her daughter, and myself went shopping on saturday.

The one bad thing about black friday this year was I forgot one of my credit cards that I was going to use. I was so mad at myself. I had left it in my pocket of my work pants and forgot to stick it back in my wallet, but that didn't stop me from shopping because I found another form of payment. I got all of my shopping done on black friday except for a couple people. I have a niece and nephew that have birthdays near the holidays so I go ahead and get their birthday gift then. At the end of the day, the shopping went well on both days. And I will be ready to go again next year.

The Wallet

Unfortunately, my roommate, Kim, got her wallet stolen recently. She was making a run to Payless (the grocery store not shoe store) and in the process of walking from the store to her car she dropped her wallet. Once she realized it was gone we went back and looked for it only to find her keys (that were previously attached to her wallet) lying in the middle of a parking space. So all in all, it created a problem. Not only did Kim no longer have her AU ID, her credit/debit cards, and her library card, but she also no longer owned a wallet.

So, the very next day Kim and I set out on a search for a brand new wallet. Where you ask? Target.

Not only is Target relatively cheap but they also have some of the cutest wallets you can find.

Now Kim is usually like me when it comes to shopping. We shop like a man. We usually know what we want and know where to find it. We hardly ever spend more than an hour in any store. However, this was a whole new experience.

Kim spent about 45 minutes trying to decide which wallet to choose. She wanted something not too small that could slip out of your pocket but she also didn't want something that was too big and would be a burden to carry. She also had to choose what color she wanted. Her last wallet was brown, so she wanted something a little bit more fun. So that narrowed it down to about 3/4ths of the items on the shelf. Then she had to decide what style. Did she want a wallet that zipped or a wallet that snapped? About 30 minutes later she finally narrowed it down to 3- a red one that zipped and snapped, a yellow one with a flower pattern that snapped, and a green one that snapped.

After asking for my opinion about 6 times and asking the opinion of a few friends from school we ran into. She finally decided that she liked the yellow one with the flowers the best. So she purchased it and we left.

Thankfully, she has been very satisfied with her purchase and feels as if she made the right choice. Many people have commented on her new wallet and it has definitely filled the hole that the other wallet left.

Picking The Right TV

So my brother just graduated from college last year and recently got his own place. He now has most of the essentials a bachelor would need, a microwave, kitchen utensils, living room suit, bedroom suit and etc. But there is one thing he felt he was missing, a nice flat screen TV! In wanting to buy a new TV my brother set out to do some research. It is amazing because I don't think I can ever remember him doing this much research on wanting to buy something. I personally have a 40" 1080P Samsung LCD myself and definitely meets my dorm room needs. The first thing my brother was thinking about was what size of TV he would need for his living room. He has a rather small living room so he was looking for something medium size somewhere around a 32" size would be suitable for him. He decided that 1080p was not all that important for him and that 720p would meet his needs. My brother told me he had around a $500 budget to work with and wanted to make sure he got the best for his money. I went with him to Best Buy back home in Michigan to take a look at different options they had available. He narrowed it down to two options. He was interested in the Samsung model#LN32C350D1D and an LG model#32LD400. Both TVs had a very good consumer reviews, but the LG stood out to him more because it was cheaper and was 1080P compared to the Samsung which was only 720P. In the end he left with the LG TV. I have followed up with him and he was very satisfied with his purchase. I just think it is amazing when we have the ability to purchase something expensive and complex like a TV, we make sure to put effort into getting the one that is right for us.

Guages!

At the beginning of the school year my roommate decided to pierce his ears. He was rather sceptical on whether he would like it or not. After having them pierced for about two months he started to get bored with his normal piercings so he decided to start gauging his ears. He started out at a ten gauge for his first set which he purchased at Hot Topic. He told me he was wanting to keep his ears at ten because they were still close enough to his original piercing. Little did I know, this was the start of my roommates obsession with buying ear gauges. Two weeks after he told me he was sticking with tens he bought a pair of eight gauges. Then almost three weeks later he moved on too six gauges with yet another pair he bought. Just recently this week he decided to buy a pair of four gauges. Although it was painful, he was still adamant on going up in a size. I couldn't believe how at the start of the semester he was going to stick with a size ten but has led all the way up to a four gauge today! I asked him what is his motivation behind doing this and his answer was "it's addicting". I know that gauges can get expensive so I asked my roommate how much he spends on average for a pair. He told me he can spend roughly fifteen to twenty dollars depending on where he gets them. I still think it is amazing how our consumptive patterns can change in an instant.

Harry Potter: My Current Obsession

I love Harry Potter just as much as any other person. Harry Potter is currently my favorite movie/book series. However, it wasn’t always that way. When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone first came out in theaters, my fifth grade teacher read the book to our class and then we went and saw the movie. For some reason I wasn’t that into it, and I didn’t actually jump onto the Harry Potter bandwagon until my freshman year of high school. Something just clicked in my head that didn’t back when the Harry Potter craze first started, and I became a huge fan really fast. So now, if asked, anyone that knows me would probably say that my love for Harry Potter is more of an obsession… and it’s a little bit true.

The Harry Potter movies were definitely great purchases for me. I literally watch them all the time, so I didn’t waste my money, and I just love them. I have a few movies that I regret buying, just because I never watch them and they’re just taking up space. But out of all of my movies, I watch the Harry Potter ones the most. You know how there are just some movies that never get old no matter how many times you watch them? Yeah, that’s how all of the Harry Potter movies are for me, especially the first one. My fascination with the first movie led me to go see all of the five other Harry Potters, buy them when they came out on DVD, and get a bunch of other Harry Potter merchandise. So, I would definitely say that out of most of the things I have purchased in my life, the Harry Potter movies have been the best purchase I’ve made.

Problem Recognition

My roommate and I have a problem. Our printer has been out of ink for a few weeks. By “our printer”, I really mean my printer. We share a printer and take turns buying ink when it runs out. Well, it just so happens that I haven’t printed anything out since the beginning of the semester, so she’s basically been using all the ink. Now, the ink is gone and she expects me to buy more ink. I don’t have money to buy ink, let alone ink that I won’t even be using. After unsuccessfully trying to convince me to buy some more, she finally gave in last week and decided to go ahead and buy more. Before we actually bought the ink, however, she wanted to get Starbucks. After spending over $8 on two coffees, and more money on random things at Walmart, we picked out the ink that we needed and went to the cashier. Lo and behold, she didn’t have enough for the ink.

Then, a few days later, we went to Walmart because she said she had some things she needed to buy. She spent $20 on a bunch of stuff that probably could have been saved for later. She now had the money to buy the ink, but bought something else that she probably didn’t even need instead. I would definitely consider my roommate to be an impulsive buyer. When she sees something she wants, she doesn’t hesitate to buy it, even though she knows there are more important things that she needs to buy. So now, this problem is going to continue until one of us finally decides to buy more ink.

Giving in to the Dark Side

Your mom is doing it. Your dad is doing it. Your friends are doing it. Your siblings do it. Your professors do it. They do it by themselves and sometimes in groups. It's safe to say...everybody's doing it. In some form or another, each of us as consumers are giving in to the dark side of consumer behavior, whether it be some form of compulsive buying or engaging in the black market to acquire certain products/ services.

As we discussed the topic "Dark Side of Consumer Behavior" and particularly the Black Market, it was interesting to note that the black market is not necessarily a physical location. My experience with black markets prior to this discussion has been with a physical location that we called "The Black Market."

Back when I was in high school in Zambia, it was an interesting dynamic in that we had one grocery store, owned by the school (a boarding school) that we were expected to purchase our products from. As you can imagine, this did not sit well with most people (as is often the case when people feel they are being coerced into doing something). People in the surrounding community realized this and created a separate channel where students could purchase their products. Of course, this did not sit well with the school administration, and the "market" was outlawed by the school. This did not deter the members of the community that started up this business venture, hence, earned the nickname "Blackie" coined after the black market that it was. There were no illegal items sold, but the fact that it was banned by the school administration highly motivated students to buy items from it rather than the school owned grocery store.

I am left to wonder if it is the same with today's non-physical black markets. Are they gaining popularity because consumers are acting to spite authorities? What is it about black markets that make them so appealing that we continued to participate in them despite knowing the potential negative effects they have? Are we as consumers purposely giving in to the dark side of consumer behavior?

I wonder...don't you?

Video Games

Growing up with video games seemed to be the norm for my age. My first console was a Super Nintendo with Mario Cart! ah what a great game! I see both the pro's and con's of video games looking back over the years. It gave my dad and I a connection and a sense of fun.. when I was winning the games! I am a very competitive gamer so when things wouldn't go quite the way I would like I would throw a fit. Video games can split family time and also increase it, like the Wii. Looking back I can see that I had a huge demand on the latest and greatest graphics and "cool" games. I believe that over the years the gaming industry has made me more materialistic. I am looking for the new hot game of the time. Right now this game would be Call of Duty Black Ops. This game came out in November and now has 360 million dollars of sales! There are thousands of guys and girls just like me looking for the next best thing. Gaming consoles have got the demand and are making great products for the consumer to buy. Xbox has done a great job at releasing new games at the right time with leading features. I do not think I will ever stop playing video games, Xbox has got me hooked! Good job Microsoft

CHRISTmas

Tis the season for chaos! The Christmas season seems to be getting earlier and earlier every year. I saw Christmas lights up right after Halloween! Is that crazy or what? I do have to say that I am in the Christmas spirit earlier than previous years, guess you could call me a late bloomer. I love the spirit that it brings and the hospitality that is shown, but why can't it always be like that? Why does it seem to only increase around Christmas time. I believe as Christians, we need to always be generous and hospitable. The other day I saw people fighting over a PlayStation 3. People are dumb!! The buying habits seem to just be getting worse. The amount of "stuff" is brainwashing the youth of America. It's all about who has the most things. It is almost like people need this "stuff to feel connected and accepted now. America is quickly becoming more materialistic as technology advances. This Christmas season, consumers want the latest and greatest thing for their loved ones. Consumers are desperate to get the perfect gift when we really need to remember what this season is all about. CHRIST'S BIRTH!

Tis the Season to be Stressful

I don't know if it is because I'm a procrastinator or if I don't like the crowds of people shopping, but I always seem to do my shopping last minute and online. This is the worst way to do it because of a number of reasons. First off, by the time Christmas rolls around, places are running out of stock, so you may not get exactly what you wanted to. Also you are going to pay more for whatever the gift is, with overnighting and shipping costs. Then there is the problem of making sure that nobody intercepts their own gift before I get do, which can be a task with a little brother around. And even if you do manage to receive all the packages without incident, then you have to get them to a safe location to wrap. And once you finally have that you can put it under the tree. I'm not really sure why I do this to myself every year but I do. I guess it's just my nature. But I wish I could break the habit. This season is far too stressful as it is without last minute gift shopping. Well there is always next year to start I guess. Maybe I'll make that my New Years resolution.

All I Need For Christmas Is......

Well for most people it’s that time of the year when people spend their money on other people for gifts. As much as I want to spend money on other people for presents, I’m probably not going to spend that much this year. The only individuals who will be receiving gifts from me are my intermediate family. I have a whole shopping list of things I want for myself such as another pair of Jordans, and I don’t think that my parents or brothers will get them for me. With that said, the Retro 11 “Cool Greys” come out on December 23 and I will be the first one in line to purchase these. Not only will I purchase one pair but I will get a total of three pair if things work out on my side.  You’re probably wondering why I will purchase three pairs of shoes that cost $187.35 after tax, and the only two answers I have for you is that it is one of my favorite shoes of all time and because they are selling for $400 dollars on most websites. $400 is a lot of money, so my idea is to sell one of my pair and hope to get at least $400 for them. If that’s the case that means I will make my money back and still have two pairs to sit on.  Good decision/ bad decision? Either way my mind is about 90% set on purchasing all three pair.

Christmas

Christmas time is the time for joys, excitement, love, kindheartedness, and peace. But to me with Christmas coming to me brings a lot of headaches and pains. This is because for the most part I am a good gift giver but when it comes to my dad year after year it never fails I never know what to buy him. My dad is the kind of person who if he wants something he will most likely go out and buy it for himself. So when it comes to buying him Christmas gifts I never know what to get him because if he wants it he will buy it and if I get him a gift he does not want he will not hesitate to return it. So when I go into the stores looking for gifts for him I never know what to get him and then that just brings frustration because he is very difficult to shop for. The last 2 years I have though found out what gifts to buy him for Christmas and that would be Anderson Raven attire from our bookstore. Freshman and Sophomore year I have bought him a golf polo and a hat, and each year he has liked those. But now I am to the point where I kind of want to try and get him something else like not from the bookstore and see if he likes it. I have been doing my research and my dad is a big bike rider and he pretty much has it all except for a cordless air compressor to pump up his tires when it gets flat. He is always getting flat tires and is always having to use the foot pump to pump it up and that takes a lot of work sometimes, but with him having this it will eliminate all that effort that he has to put into it. This is the gift that I want to get him and there is no way that he can take it back because it is the perfect gift for him!

Social Influences

After our class lecture over Chapter 16, I realized my Christmas list says a lot about me. I looked over my list and realized that a few of my wish list items were based on social influences. I have magazine subscriptions (I know real exciting, right?) on my list that I really want. These subscriptions can be related to an aspirational reference group. The subscriptions are to magazines related to my future career – the person I aspire to be. I also asked for items that my peers have currently. I asked for a new hair straightener. One of my roommates expressed how much she likes her hair straightener, and for this reason, I asked for the same brand. My peers also influenced me with the books I asked for as well as the new boots I hope to receive. Even though I do not enjoy writing out a Christmas list for family members, I found this year’s list to be a useful tool. The list helped me realize that the items I consume are closely related to my social influences and reference groups.

(Picture courtesy of: Google Images)

Gift Giving

Christmas most definitely has to be my favorite holiday. I enjoy everything about Christmas. One thing I particularly enjoy is gift giving. This year I am ecstatic about one special gift my dad, brother, and I are giving my mom. We have known for quite a while that we wanted to give her a laptop for Christmas. Even though we knew this, we still had to go through the gestation stage of gift giving. We had to think of the emotions that surrounded the gift (our love and support), the nature of the gift (she has desperately needed a laptop for a period of time), the value of the gift (definitely beyond the monetary value), and the amount of time spent searching for the gift. We researched several computers trying to decide exactly which one would fit her purposes the best. We also researched prices (in store and online). We then decided to purchase the laptop from Best Buy online.

The laptop has just arrived so now it is time for the presentation. Even though we are not going to give her the gift quite yet we are going to wrap the gift and place it among the other gifts under the tree. To be completely honest the presentation of this gift is probably going to be one of the highlights of my Christmas knowing that we are making her job easier. Even though the reformation stage applies in many situations I do not think this will be the case in this situation. I do not believe my mom will reevaluate our relationship based solely on this gift or determine to reciprocate based on the gift. I am truly excited for Christmas morning to see her open her new laptop.

The Process of Buying Wedding Rings

There are very few material things that I actually believe to be very special. However, one of my belongings that I believe to be special is my engagement ring, because it was a gift to me from my fiancé and a huge memory laden object. More importantly, it is special because it is a sign of the love and commitment that we share.

Looking back on the process it took to purchase our rings, it was drastically different. This past summer, my fiancé, Austin, surprised me and took me ring shopping. The process was completely overwhelming, because I knew absolutely nothing about rings or the hundreds of styles and options you could choose from. There were many that I liked, and after much deliberation I was able to narrow down my options. We traveled to many different jewelers and spent a large amount of time searching.

This is the completely opposite of the ring shopping experience I had with Austin. I took him to Kay’s Jewelers a few weeks ago to take a look at rings. My intentions were purely to figure out what styles he liked and about how much it was going to cost me. Of course, the ring section for men is drastically, and I mean drastically, smaller then it is for women. We sat down and the lady that helped us pulled out rings for him to try on. He would put one on and immediately be able to say yes or no. After a short time, Austin had it narrowed down to one ring in the store and another ring we found in a magazine. I personally liked the ring in the store better which was more expensive then the ring that was in the magazine. We decided to order in the ring in the magazine and come back later to make our final decision. Last week, the ring came in, so we made another trip to take a look at it. He decided to go with the ring that we had ordered in that I did not like as much but was cheaper. I was in awe of how fast he made a decision. We went to the counter, swiped my card, and carried the ring out of the store. It was a piece of cake.

What I learned from this experience is that there is a huge difference between genders in looking into wedding rings. It’s amazing how there is such a difference between the amount of options and prices for women and men. Lastly, it also shows that when you are buying gifts for another person there is a bit of give and take. The ring he chose for himself would not have been my first choice; however, I purchased the ring he liked best which is what really matters. Plus, it didn’t hurt that it was cheaper for me, even though I was willing to pay more. All in all, I am happy that he is satisfied with his decision, and I am glad I didn’t have to go through what he did in order to purchase a ring.