Certain people seem terribly misinformed when it comes to what makes a savvy consumer. They simply can't say no to a sale or discount, even if the product they're buying isn't something they really need or ever plan to use. Whether they're trying to take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free deals on cold cuts at the grocery store or deep discounts on apparel at the mall, they don't realize that, in the quest to save money, they're still spending lots of it. In other words, people don't mind spending money they otherwise would not fork over if it means they're getting it for less. For many consumers, the thrill of snagging a bargain is irresistible. It's no surprise, then, that many people find themselves chronically debt-ridden. Unfortunately, retailers have gotten smart at baiting shoppers with these ploys. By saying that a sale is only available for a limited time, or that items are running out, people are quick to act because they don...

It's hard to believe today is the day after Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday replete with delicious food, big smiles, and countless laughs. Now that Turkey Day is behind us, it can only mean a couple of things. For one, we can expect a myriad of families to put up their holiday decorations today. Secondly, there's no denying that, arguably until after New Year's, retailers from Macy's to Victoria's Secret will be barraging us with holiday ads, whether on TV, in the newspaper, or online. It's really a shame that the holidays have become so highly commercialized. My coworkers and I were fretting the other day over the fact that many stores now sell Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff alongside their Halloween items. That means you can stock up on Christmas decorations as early as October. While doing so may save one money in the long run, coupling all three occasions does little to build anticipation for the latter holidays...

Yesterday, I stopped by Barnes & Noble on the way home, and I couldn't help but notice it looked unusually crowded. I felt like I was at a jam-packed Toys ''R" Us or Wal-Mart rather than a bookstore. Then I remembered: It's the holidays, dummy! And I went on a good day: Magazines were 30% off, so I snagged a special edition of TIME , which focused on the psychology of relationships, and the latest edition of Lapham's Quarterly , which centers on none other than my favorite historical figure of late -- Alexander Hamilton. I later ventured over to the kids aisle and saw a Star Wars toy that I know my nephew will go gaga over. And I grabbed it just in time, as a kid came up to me and asked where exactly had I seen the toy. To his dismay, it was the very last item of its kind in stock. It was only one day after Black Friday and I had already gotten a taste of the holiday shopping frenzy that's sure to sweep the nation over the next couple of week...

Coupons. Discounts. Sales. We all love them. Anything that allows us to keep more money in our pocket can only be a good thing, right? Any signage at stores that says "buy one, get one free" or "50% off" can be so disarming. It's as if it gets our "spend money" sensors tingling. Ironically, coupons and deals compel us to spend money we would otherwise not shell out. Most consumers don't want to feel like they're missing out on a great bargain, so they're willing to purchase something they might not even need or be interested in. It's all psychological: we  care more about saving money than the actual product we're getting. "If I don't jump on this deal now, the price might go back up." Or so our thinking goes. Is it any wonder retailers have been so successful at driving shoppers to the checkout lines by imposing time windows? ("Hurry! This deal ends soon.") I work in and studied marketing and psy...