Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Consumer Guilt.

I have some of the worst buyers remorse known to exist.

When I have any extra cash to spend on myself, I have a horrible time trying to pick out what to purchase, and afterwards I over-analyse and question my decision non-stop.

What the hell am I talking about you say? Well, let me tell you.

I received some late birthday money. It's not big time cash or anything, only about $100, but it was enough to warrant a trip down to Future Shop to see what's available. I'm the type of nerd that checks out stuff online to get some ideas before I go to the store, so I already had an inkling of what I was going to buy.

I didn't go crazy, but they did have a deal that caught my eye. Two Fox T.V. box sets for the price of one. I had seen it online so I checked it out in-store and they did have what I wanted. I picked up Firefly: The Complete Series and Futurama Vol 3. I got both for $50, and that's a pretty good deal. I even tried to get them to price-match Wal-Mart, (I can be a cheap fucker too,) but no-go on the two for one. So I got what I came for right?

Wrong.

After shelling out half my cash, I suddenly start thinking uber-cheap. I see some more items that I'd like, but I put off getting them. Why? I start to question what I bought already. - Do I need to get these DVD's? Did I really want them that badly? Did I get a good deal?

I know the answer to all of those questions is yes, but it still doesn't help.

You know, ever since I had kids I question every purchase I make for myself. I guess that's the hunter-gatherer in me. Always looking out for the tribe before the individual. But those early ancestors didn't have to deal with well-lit temples of electronic worship, they never had to face a wall of new releases, never had to come face-to-face with the whirling lights and sounds that emanate from within the concrete and steel earthly domain of heaven.

Lucky bastards only had to worry about food, shelter, and which woman they were dragging back to the cave that night.

They had it easy.

Later.

1 comment:

  1. I wouldn't chalk it up to having The Boy, and some tribe consciousness: I agonize over purchases too, in much the same fashion. Did I NEED that gadget? Can't I use 4 other connectors I have now in series to do the same thing almost as fast?

    Is it part of being a middle-aged Gen-X? I suspect the Boomers had the same remorse after purchasing, so it may just be a function of membership in the crazy society we're in. Z will surely suffer the same thing when he's a geezer like us, only we'll be too old to appreciate it, drooling into our porridge as we'll be.

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