Being a Smart Shopper

If you're shopping for a certain item, what factors would help you choose one product over the other? Let's take shampoo for example. You walk down the shampoo aisle and see dozens of options, so how would you decide which one to get? Many are persuaded by the color or the smell. Some are drawn to a particular shape or size of the bottle. Others are loyal to a certain brand because that's what their family has always used. Still others are mainly concerned about the cost.

Although these factors certainly set one product apart from the others, the real question the consumer needs to be asking is, "Does it work?" If the product doesn't work, you might as well skip buying it in the first place.

Of course, shopping for products is only one area of life where it's easy to be persuaded by the wrong factors. Consider an employer who is "shopping" for employees. He meets an applicant who is funny, punctual, and friendly, but can't do the job well. Or consider "shopping" for a career. Some pay lots of money, have flexible work hours, and promise good job security. If you don't enjoy or succeed in those lines of work, you'll quickly find yourself miserable if you take the job.

When we have a decision to make, it's usually helpful to stop and ask, "Okay, what factors do I really need to consider when making this decision?" Keep the "bonus" factors in mind, but don't make the decision primarily because of them.