On a budget? Or on a shop-till-you drop marathon? Either way, what you’re drinking or supplementing with before you head out to the stores could be influencing you in surprising ways!
If you’re fueling yourself through your shopping with coffee in hand, you might want to rethink the caffeine content, according to a study earlier this month from the University of Florida. Even if you’re not intentionally out to spend some extra cash, your decision-making abilities appear to be altered and self-control decreased compared to others who shop without caffeine on board.
To test this theory, researchers designed experiments in department stores by providing shoppers with a free cup of either coffee, decaf, or water, and then compared their receipts to one another at the end of their shopping. Caffeine consumers bought 50% more and 30% extra items, and their total spending was significantly higher compared to non-caffeine users.
Shopping Under Caffeine
As surprising as that was, the type of items the caffeinated shoppers were attracted to was also different. Kitchen and storage items showed little variance among caffeinated and non-caffeinated shoppers, unlike the preference for non-essentials by the former. However, caffeinated shoppers were more likely to buy more non-essential items, like fragranced candles.
To counteract the dopamine effect of caffeine while online shopping, consider having a smoothie alongside your laptop during your browsing session. Even in an online shopping experiment, caffeinated business students showed a stronger inclination to purchase non-essential items. Caffeinated shoppers, despite a pre-selected list, impulsively chose non-essential items like massagers over practical ones like school supplies.
Enjoy caffeine post-shopping to curb impulsive purchases and watch your budget.
Further Reading
Dipayan Biswas, Patrick Hartmann, Martin Eisend, Courtney Szocs, Bruna Jochims, Vanessa Apaolaza, Erik Hermann, Cristina M. López, Adilson Borges. EXPRESS: Caffeine’s Effects on Consumer Spending. Journal of Marketing, 2022; 002224292211092 DOI: 10.1177/00222429221109247
Also read our blog on INSANE Benefits of Phenibut(and Brutally Awful Side Effects)
