How to avoid Impulse Purchases when Shopping

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Impulse buying is a great way to pick up gorgeous clothes and great specials, but if your impulse buying is getting out of control, or you seriously need to stick to your budget, then use these simple tips to understand and control your impulsive behaviours:

Impulse shopping

• Use a list. Make a list of exactly what you need to buy each time you go shopping and follow it. When you’re in the supermarket this will help you avoid those aisle (and items) you don’t need and at the mall you will avoid those stores which don’t have items on your list, but have very tempting impulse buys.
• Enforced waiting. If you see an item you really want to buy, force yourself to wait at least a week before buying it. This will help you determine whether it is really something you need, or something you just wanted on the spot. If you keep thinking about it and find uses for the item in your everyday life, it may just be a smart purchase.
• Don’t shop with a full account. When your wage is credited to your account each week or each month you’ll feel quite flush and this can lead to making impulsive purchasing decisions. Therefore, avoid shopping on or closely after pay day, and continue to wait around a week before making a purchase.
• Walk to the shops. If you are only going to the supermarket for a few things, walk there and knowing that you have to walk back will discourage you from buying all of those extra things you don’t really need.
• Pay cash. It is a proven psychological fact that it is harder for us to part with cash than it is to pay with a card, and people playing for their purchases with cash tend to spend less. Therefore, make your purchases seem more real, and feel the money physically leaving your possession to curb your impulses.
• Don’t go shopping as often. If you are removed from opportunities to shop then you have less opportunity to overspend and buy things you don’t really need. This means making a detailed and comprehensive shopping list so you only have to go to the supermarket once a week, and avoiding going to the mall just to window shop, as it’s easy to get drawn into a store by their window display.
• Know why you can’t impulse buy. When you’re standing in front of a sale, your short term need for a new pair of shoes seems to outweigh your long term goals of a holiday, a house or a wedding. Therefore, whatever your big picture goals are, keep them clear in your mind at all times so you don’t get distracted.
• What is there to lose? If you need some tangible reason not to make a purchase because it will impact on your other life goals, think about what you are really giving up. For example, will buying a new TV mean you have to wait an extra three months for your house deposit, does buying a new laptop equate to the amount you would need for the deposit on your wedding dress, or does buying an expensive new handbag now mean you won’t have that spending money when you holiday in Europe?
• Don’t store your credit card details in online stores. Shopping online removes the reality of parting with your money even further and it is very easy to make impulse purchases online when you can buy just about anything you can think of from the comfort of your couch. Therefore, make it that little bit harder for yourself to impulse purchase by choosing not to store your billing details in the systems of your favourite online stores. This means you have to get up, find your credit card and type in the details manually, making you really think about your purchase.
• Shop online. At the same time, shopping online can help you avoid a number of impulse buying opportunities as there are no supermarket aisles filled with chocolates and there are fewer temptations when you just needed to buy a new lipstick, to try out that new nail polish that is right next to it. Plus, when shopping online it is also a lot easier to put things back when you get to the checkout because there is no sales person looking at you and no customers behind you.
• Go shopping during the quiet times. going shopping during the day or during the week means you will be able to avoid a lot of cooking demonstrations and mall events which can hype you up and get you so excited about a product that you don’t think about whether you need it or not.
• Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. If you go to the supermarket when you’re hungry everything is going to look good to you, and you’ll end up impulsively buying foods you want right now, and find you don’t have anything for a week of meals when you get home.
• Shop alone. Leave the kids at home and don’t go shopping with friends when you know you can’t afford it because you are more likely to give in to whining from the kids and assurances from your friends that you’ll get so much use out of that new dress/bag/power drill.
• Don’t go near a sale. If you’re an impulse buyer – and why else would you be reading this – you know you can’t just go and look at a sale without feeling compelled to buy. The sale sign allows you to justify purchases you know deep down you don’t need. Therefore, avoid temptation all together and don’t risk your resistance by just steering clear of any sale, clearance or special offers.
• Get a second opinion. If you are conflicted by an impulse purchase, and this can happen especially with big ticket items, then it can help to talk out the situation. Call a friend or family member who knows your life goals and can help you make a rational decision about whether you really need the item or not – just don’t cheat and call your fellow shop-a-holic friend.
• Track your spending. When you write down everything you spend you are holding yourself accountable for your purchases. It also allows you to look back at the end of the week or the end of the month and identify where you have lost your resolve and given in to impulse buys.
Alban has written many articles on frugality and how to save money. Alban is also helping people to choose the best personal loans

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Why shop online?

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Online shopping has without doubt revolutionised the way that we purchase goods and services. As high street shopping declines, more people are getting themselves online and making multiple purchases from retailers such as Amazon, Play.com or eBay.

shop online

But because there is now so much online goods purchasing, we place even more pressure on courier services and their ability to deliver our goods safely. Thankfully, 90 per cent of the time this goes off without a hitch, meaning that this Christmas, people can get stuck into their new iPhone 4S or the latest XBox 360 computer game.

People like to shop online for many reasons. Aside the obvious advantage of not leaving the house on a rainy day, customers tend to get better deals online. They also have a greater choice of retailers in which to buy from – unlike the high street.

Also, items are available to pre-order online. In close collaboration with courier services, this in fact means that customers are just as likely to get a product on its official day of release as they are if they went down to their local store themselves!

Shopping online is also great for birthday, anniversary or Christmas presents, as previously suggested. It’s great for any surprise in fact. Gift wrapping also saves us the time from doing it ourselves, and although that also sounds like a lazy reason to advocate online shopping, we have to admit that most of the time, we are generally very busy people. Since we spend so much time on the internet; for work, for play; it is no wonder that online shopping becomes second nature to us.

Online shopping has also encouraged us to take advantage of loyalty schemes, group bookings and daily discounted items. It’s single-handedly obliterated the need for vouchers from your grandmother for WH Smith at Christmas.

These are just a few of the reasons why online shopping is king of the hill and why it is here to stay. But it’s important to remember that without a reliable courier service powering this engine, we would never receive our goods at all.

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Using exhibition stands in a busy shopping centre

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Exhibition stands are a great investment for small traders hoping to gain attention in busy shopping centres.

Using exhibition stands to help sell goods in a shopping centre is not only a much cheaper alternative then renting commercial property, but it can also prove to be a more profitable choice for traders.

Exhibition stands in a shopping centre

This article details some of the advantages which trading using exhibition stands and tables can provide.

Positioning

Placing these stands directly in the middle of shopping centres or high streets can make small businesses more noticeable than they may be inside a high street shop.

On weekends or bank holidays, thousands of shoppers will directly past a trader and grab a glimpse of their products. This is a luxury that many high street stores do not have.

Creates attention

This positioning allows traders to vocally advertise their product in a similar way that many market butchers or florists attract custom. This method of direct marketing can often be successful, as traders can make sales based on the strength of their personality, as well as the quality of their products.

Many traders using exhibition stands will find that customer interest provides a domino effect commonly known as the ‘Jones Effect’. If lots of people are showing interest their products it appears far more obvious then it would in a high-street store. High-street shoppers often see a big crowd of people in a small area and natural curiosity leads them to wander over as well.

Flexibility

Market traders using nothing but a table and an exhibition stand will find it far easier to be flexible than those who are renting commercial property. These low costs make it easier to work part-time hours or take a day off if they so wish. It is also far easier to change the destination of their business should they find that business is slow in a certain area.

Owners of a small businesses may not necessarily have to invest in commercial property in order to promote their business. Investing in exhibition stands and setting up stall in a shopping centre may prove to be a far more effective method of getting a business off the ground.

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Christmas hampers are a great British tradition

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Linda Jacob

No doubt about it, Christmas hampershave come a long way. Once upon a time, the Christmas hamper was dished out by the great and good of the land as a once-a-year philanthropic Boxing Day gesture to workers and their families. Gratefully received, no doubt, but still a way of defining the haves and the have-nots. Thankfully, times have changed for the better, although the hamper still suffers a little bit of an image problem, even today, because of its past associations with the poor and needy.

Hampers Gifts Baskets

Of course, if the hamper was not always associated with Christmas, it surely is now, generating millions of pounds for the UK economy at the same time. Yes, hampers for Christmas come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and varieties nowadays, from chocolate hampers, luxury hampers, vegetarian hampers, corporate hampers, hampers for the kids, or grandma, or that extremely important business client…the list could go on and on.

Like everything to do with the modern celebration of christmas , it seems we have the Victorians to thank for the rise in popularity of the hamper. Having a railway network spanning the country also helped, too, allowing perishable goods to be transported easily and quickly for the very first time. But, apparently, hampers go back even much further than the Victorian era.

In fact, depending on the historical sources consulted, the use of the word hamper can be traced all the way back to the times of William the Conqueror. Of course, there were no Christmas associations with the French word “hanapier”, used around a thousand years ago and which was eventually contracted and changed into the word hamper. Hanapier simply meant a maker of hanaps or goblets.

Quite how things moved from the hamper of medieval times to the present-day hamper is not fully understood. Certainly, the use of wicker baskets to carry vegetables and fruit from fields to market was a widely adopted practise. The baskets were easily made, strong and well ventilated and thus ideal for carrying perishable goods.

It was traditional, too, for land owners to give their workers a day off at Christmas and to reward them with gifts of food as a token of appreciation for all their hard labours throughout year. In time, other employers mimicked the tradition, even although they had nothing to do with working the land or producing crops. Fortunately, by then, some enterprising individuals spotted their needs and provided the necessary hampers. The rest, as they say, is history.

From small beginnings do great industries grow. The Christmas hamper tradition, even despite some well publicised setbacks in recent years, continues to grow at an incredible rate. Savings schemes, in which weekly instalments are paid throughout the year in return for luxury hampers for Christmas , continue to be as popular now as in the past. In fact, given the difficult economic climate we all find ourselves in, the indications are that such savings schemes are proving a real boon for families in the United Kingdom.

Yes, an easy way to save for a great British tradition, the Christmas hamper!

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Making Sure You Are Shopping at an Authentic Store

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Many a times, selecting gifts becomes a difficult task. The problem gets even bigger if you are looking for something unique, like a team wear cap for a F1 fan. At such times, what you need to do is find an online store that stocks such items.

Not all online shops are the same when you go out to buy Formula 1 merchandise. How do you know that the F1 shop of your choice offers original items? If it is an official store of your most loved team, you can be sure of this.

It is important to buy from a reliable store for a number of reasons – ensures you do not buy fakes, ensures you do not fall trap to phony stores, ensures value for money.

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Ultimate Hot Air Balloon to Launch in 2013

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Linda Jacob

In 2013 a new extreme hot air balloon is set to take off. The ‘bloon’ will take travellers up into the Earth’s stratosphere climbing 22 miles. The ticket price for this trip is a huge £90,000 per person and lasts five hours long.

The selling point of the experience is the opportunity to see the curvature of the earth, something that can’t be seen from a common aircraft flight. The helium balloon measures 420 ft in diameter and offers a trip of a lifetime to become a space tourist.

The pressurised pod can fit two pilots and four guests and will be at a comfortable temperature so wrapping up warm won’t be needed! Visitors can cruise for three hours at an altitude that lets them watch the sun dawn over earth. After this the sail will be vented, and then descend until the sail separates from the pod. Then the pod will be deployed back to earth by a parachute.

The creation is from Zero 2 Infinity, a Spanish company whose aim is to fly the bloon for the first time in 2013. Providing a predetermined landing site is available the bloon can be flown 25 miles in any direction to land safely.

Jose Mariano Lopez-Urdiales who came up with the idea has launched five test flights which were unmanned. These reached a height of 20 miles which is triple the height for an aeroplane cruise.

Lopez-Urdiales said: “It will be an unforgettable experience – people will be able to see stars during the day and the sun will look completely different.

‘People will enjoy it because being that high reminds them they come from a planet, and are part of something much bigger.

‘It brings up lots of feelings in people that we are all connected and we believe that’s beneficial for the human experience.”

If perhaps the £90,000 price tag is out of your range we suggest opting for traditional hot air balloon flights . At a fraction of the price you can still experience an amazing, tranquil view of the earth from the air during a balloon flights . There are hot air balloon operators across the country so look online for hot air balloon rides near you!

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Tips for Buying Envelopes

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Getting Noticed: Small Ways That Make A Difference: Today’s competitive, information-filled world makes it difficult for businesses to get the publicity — and sales — they need for healthy growth.

ACE Envelope

Looking for an easy way to get noticed? Consider your envelopes. Yes, that’s right. Even before a potential customer decides to order, based on the materials inside, they begin with a small but crucial decision: Should I take the time to open this?

First impressions are very important. What better place to begin that process than the envelopes you use for your mailers? Here are some tips that will help you succeed, and still keep your costs reasonable:

First, use a standard size. Too large or small, or a bespoke piece that doesn’t fit easily inside and you’ve got trouble twice: first in higher production costs, and second in increased postage. Neither will help your bottom line. (See the tutorial below for help in this important area.)

Second, choose the best paper thickness you can afford. Heavier paper not only translates through as ‘quality,’ but better protects the important information inside. How can the customer make a decision, when the outer cover is ripped or tattered, and half the packet inside is missing? This may also cause the customer to think of your business as cheap, sloppy or hurried, even though the post office was to blame.

An important note here: paper thickness is just as important to your regular stationery as it is to your bulk mailings. A heavier, textured paper, especially in a classic colour, featuring imprints and/or monograms, says, “We’re to be taken seriously here. You can trust us.” (Discreetly mentioning that your paper is recycled also reinforces that you, like so many customers in today’s market, take “green” environmentally-friendly issues seriously.)

Third, let your customer know how to reach you, just by looking at the outside. Your company’s name should be prominent — but also include the address and website, at the very least. (Twitter and Facebook info, as well as toll-free numbers and e-mail addresses, can expand that knowledge on the pages inside.) Use a bold, easy-to-read font like the old standards, Arial or Times Roman — if you’re experimenting with an unusual font, use it only on the company name. Make sure the font is sized large enough to read easily: at least 8, and preferably 10, 11 or 12. Don’t lose a sale, just because the customer cannot easily read your contact information!

Finally, give that customer a special reason for opening. Mention free offers or discounts – just a few words are enough to do it. Eye-catching graphics or an unusual colour mix suggests that even more interesting things are inside. Custom stickers can be added to promote special sales or coupons for new customers.

Whatever you decide on, not only for your regular mailings but special promotions, your material should be friendly and informative — and remind customers that your company provides a quality product for a good price. A well-thought-out envelope does that — at just a glance

Company’s Profile

Ace-Envelopes is one of UK’s leading suppliers of over 700 types of plain envelopes, bespoke custom made envelopes, business envelopes and printed envelopes fornext day delivery service to meet your business needs. For more information about envelopes from Ace – envelopes please visit – http://www.ace-envelopes.co.uk/

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Getting a Good Night’s Rest

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Experts have all sorts of advice on how to get the best night’s rest and you can try everything from warm milk to hot tea and still find yourself tossing and turning. We don’t pretend to have all the answers but we do know that it’s easier to fall asleep in comfortable surroundings on a bed that is properly outfitted.

Oversized Throw Blanket A properly outfitted bed includes sheets with a high thread count if they are woven or warm flannel sheets in winter; many people enjoy soft and stretchy jersey knit sheets. A good comforter or quilt will help to keep you warm and an extra throw will ward off any chills and keep your shoulders covered while you read in bed or watch TV.

You can find throws, comforters and sheets of all sorts when you shop online and at the same time you can easily compare features and benefits for each item in order to assemble the bedding ensemble that is just right for you.

You may find that you start your night’s sleep under the covers only to wake up overheated in the middle of the night. Solutions include micro-fleece bedding or an electric throw or blanket with an auto adjust feature; other options include mattress pads with soy-based cool care technology – there’s a lot to discover when you browse online.

A down-filled or down alternative comforter is another way to better control body heat as most are breathable and with high loft filling you’ll feel warm but not overheated or burdened with heavy blankets. You really can get a good night’s rest with the proper bedding as a foundation.

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New wave baby products appeal to dads too

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Choosing equipment for the baby has been a job traditionally undertaken by the expectant mother. After all, it is she that will be using car seats, prams, cots, etc. the most in the first few months, right?

Think again. Modern dads are demanding a greater say in purchasing the baby’s essentials; one that goes beyond handing over a credit card.

Pushchair

With that in mind, there are a new breed of daddy-centric buggies and associated tot products on the market, designed in ‘masculine’ colours with robust, manly features, which is great news.

If anything, it might stop other fathers doing what one Swansea man did to his son’s pushchair: he ‘pimped’ it up. The plain three-wheeled buggy was upgraded with a personal numberplate, vacuum cleaner, DVD player, solar panels and ‘Knight Rider’ style lights. The whole thing was finished in orange and black tiger stripes.

The father had bought and stripped down a second hand buggy after being disappointed by a brand new all-swinging, all-dancing pushchair, which had proved difficult to use. Still, tiger stripes?

Fear not, all you fathers out there; there’s no need to go to such extremes.

You can now buy nappy change carry-alls which look like ‘cool’ messenger bags, no chintz in sight. These have been in big demand in Australia – as have rugged-looking baby carriers which resemble backpacks.

Then there’s the prams which can be attached to the back of a mountain bike, complete with tyres that need to be pumped up. Perfect for outdoor-loving fathers.

Men are attracted by the practical nature of such products, baby experts say. They like neutral, not ‘baby’ colours, working out how things will fit and the general ergonomics of a pram, cot or car seat. They too see them as status symbols and want to impress other dads.

Additionally, safety hardware is something that dads reportedly love: items including child locks for cupboards and plastic corner protectors. Men say they feel useful doing something handy while knowing that they are ultimately protecting their little ones.

The truth is, men love getting involved with the baby paraphernalia and with these new innovations, it looks like it’ll soon be mum who doesn’t get a look in!

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Playmobil- Let loose your imagination

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Linda Jacob

Playmobil is one of the most famous toy manufacturers in the world. It is well known for the durability of its toys and the vast range of themes and sets. All Playmobil figures are made of plastic. The company has been manufacturing toys for decades and has not branched out into toys other than their original design. Playmobil made itself known to the world in 1975.

Playmobil

Hans Beck worked for the Geobra Brandstätter Company, where he worked on modeling airplanes. In 1973, during the oil crisis, a problem arose which needed addressing to the use of material in current production. The head of the company asked Hans Beck to start working on development of toy figures. In 1974, the company put these toys up on view, which did not win any plaudits. However the toy was popular with kids, and it led to a Dutch company buying it. In 1975, Playmobil began to be sold worldwide and has been growing ever since.

The philosophy of Playmobil seems to be “a little can go a long way”. The design of the figure is very simple – all that it has is a mouth and two dotted eyes and almost no variation in its facial expressions. Something that you will notice about a Playmobil figure is that it doesn’t have a nose. It might seem odd but if you look at it from a different angle, the “father of Playmobil” Hans Beck left it intentionally for kids to make it the way they want to themselves.

Playmobil has been designed to target kids within the age of six and twelve. Playmobil toys are usually realistic; they present almost accurate representations of tools, costumes, arms and armor. The toy line worth mentioning is the modern construction and city life toys, which are especially notable for their great detail. The Playmobil’s line of building products is called the “System X”.  The System X consists of small pieces of roof, floor, wall, blocks and other connecting pieces.

Playmobil toys are simple but allow ample of room for expression. The Playmobil figures do not have any pre-existing storyline, so it allows children to use their own imagination to create a world of their own. Make up stories, different scenarios and interactions without someone else’s input of how the story should turn out or what is the role of characters. Children can let their imaginations soar regardless of how simple the designs may be.

Playmobil has been a major competitor of LEGO. However the only thing common with both companies is that their figures and play sets are based on human lives. The first play sets introduced by Playmobil were based on construction workers, knights and Native Americans. The first worker set consisted of a road roller, a wheelbarrow, ten traffic cones and three crates of beer which had six bottles each, making a total of eighteen bottles. Playmobil also has theme parks called the “FunParks” in different countries.
Playmobil is available worldwide with products varying from country to country. Find your nearest store and let your kid discover his imaginative side.
Jack Neils is passionate about toys and especially playmobil toys.

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