Enquiring Minds: Shopping Hungry [SURVEY]

In a study that retailers will no doubt find interesting, researchers at the University of Minnesota say that shopping on an empty stomach is probably not the wisest idea for budget-conscious consumers.

Yes, indeed - thank you, Captain Obvious!

To put it simply, hunger makes people purchase more articles, whether at a supermarket or a department store.

Lead researcher Alison Jing Xu contends that hunger pangs don’t make things more appealing inasmuch as they trigger the sheer desire just to buy something.

Xu says that shoppers sometimes experience a kind of buyer’s remorse after the fact as people try to figure just why they bought what they bought.

The U. of Minnesota team based their findings on five different studies involving participants who either were allowed to take home free stuff or had gone shopping at a large department store.

In all the studies, those who were hungry tended to pick up more things than the participants whose appetites were satisfied.

The fundamental message for consumers then is to make sure you’ve got something in your stomach before beginning any shopping excursion.

Boyfriendo does this ALL THE TIME.  We'll head out to the store, and then halfway through our trip when he's looking at lime encrusted mussels or something, he'll say, "Oh, I forgot to eat today".  Luckily, I am able to convince him to put the mussels down, but sometimes we buy something stupid we don't need.  What about you - have you gone grocery shopping on an empty stomach?  Did you end up buying something silly you didn't need that you regretted later?  Tell me all about it in our new poll, and you'll get points to win prizes while we discuss it on the air.

Hungrily yours,
Behka