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Shopping Strategies Essay

¶ … Shopping literally means giving some of your income for something that you want to possess. The medium of acquisition can range from cash to check book to credit card or to substituting something of value that you possess to something that the vendor will accept in exchange for the article. The location too varies from the conventional shop / supermarket to a vendor or, nowadays, to online shopping. Shopping too can be done via the mail through catalogues; some say shopping can be achieved over the phone, too. The end-product also varies from something as complex as a computer or vehicle or house to shopping around for a type of service or labor. In the end, it means buying something from another. Some people shop only for products / services that they need whilst others enjoy shopping for the thrill of doing so accumulating seemingly unnecessary items. Either way, the motive of shopping is to fulfill a certain need. Shopping is also called consumerism in economic terms.

Shopping strategies include the following:

1. Making a list

2. Discussing with others and/or deciding whether one really does need / want the item

3. Evaluating competitive stores / services to select one's target choice

Browsing different websites over the Internet and running a search to select the cheapest item of that category
5. Consulting the Better Business Bureau (or one's Attorney General) to verify the reliability of a certain business.

6. Asking for recommendations from others

7. Then propose how you plan to gather further information. For shopping strategies

8. Acquiring couponing / voucher strategies

Who will you talk to/interview?

Depending on what I will buy, I may consult the Better Business Bureau (or one's Attorney General) to verify the reliability of a certain business.

What will you read?

I may read relevant Consumer Reports (both online or offline) or trade catalogues -- again depending on what I am going to buy. If I intend to use coupons, another strategy will be to learn how to clip and save coupons as well as how to use them. I may seek books / articles on the subject.

Define and describe ideas for observation and documentation

Taking the subject of coupons which is a subject unto itself, I will look for in-store catalogues and their special incentives. I will ask storekeepers; I will observe the…

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Describe a hoped for outcome - Include an existing business or service that is similar or analogous to your ideas.

The hoped for outcome is that I become a savvy shopper, refraining from buying on impulse, buying wise and enduring purchases that are both quality and cheap and saving money over the long haul.

An existing business that is similar to my idea may be the Division of Consumer & Business Education (Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/bcpocbe.shtm) which serves to give consumers the tools they need to make informed decisions. This is not so much a business as a service / agency. There is also the BBB and then there are games and books on consumer education (see Amazon.com for instance.)
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