“The best way to deal with this is do the due diligence. It is more effortful, but checking prices at multiple sources is the best way to make sure that the deal you are getting is indeed a deal and not a trap,” said Selin A. Malkoc, PhD, associate professor of marketing at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, on the website WalletHub.
Malkoc also recommends a “cooling-down” period before purchasing your shopping cart in an effort to keep the holidays in the black and not the red.
“My authors and I recently studied consumers who added items to their shopping cart but did not make an immediate purchase. We found that compared to those who immediately bought their chosen items, those who took a break (as short as 10 minutes) were less likely to give into temptation,” Malkoc said.
To speak with Malkoc, contact her directly at malkoc@wustl.edu or contact Erika Ebsworth-Goold, eebsworth-goold@wustl.edu or 314-401-7684, in Washington University’s Office of Public Affairs.