We all know what it’s like to have buyer’s remorse. The moments leading up to a purchase are filled with justifications, biases, and rationalisations. If you’re still wrestling with the decision a few days later, take back whatever it is you bought.
Picture: Clemens v. Vogelsang/Flickr
As finance blog Plunged In Debt explains, we all make purchases for fun or personal enjoyment. However, if you’re feeling regret days afterwards, don’t hesitate to make use of that returns desk:
Life is too short to not be enjoyed. I’m not suggesting you don’t enjoy your money. What I am suggesting is that you value your money and make sure it is appropriated in the best manner. If something makes you genuinely happy, that is justification enough but if three days later you’re convincing yourself you still need “it”, return it and rid your conscious of guilt.
For most things, three days is enough time to separate yourself from the pre-purchase justifications and decide if you like life with your purchase. However, you don’t have to wait either. Sometimes you know immediately whether you’re really happy with a purchase, sometimes it might take a while.
Not that under Australian law, you can’t return something simply because you changed your minds. However, many stores will accept a return unquestioned, and others will give you credit even if they won’t get your money back.
If You Have to Justify a Purchase, You Probably Didn’t Need It. [Plunged In Debt via Rockstar Finance]
Comments
2 responses to “If You Still Can’t Justify A Purchase Three Days Later, Return It”
So.. you have buyer’s remorse. You bought something, it works perfectly well, but you have changed your mind. Tough. Suck it up princess, go buy a box of tissues too. Learn from this experience, and be a more careful shopper next time.
If you really don’t want it, sell it on Ebay or Gumtree. It is irresponsible to expect companies and other consumers to subsidise your decisions.
And this is why I always ask myself if it’s something I can live without. 95% of the time the answer is yes. Unless it’s something I’ve wanted badly for a very long time (case in point: the Kindle I’m buying in a few weeks), in which case I either save up for it or stick it on lay-by.
This is an appalling attitude, that reflects an almost psychopathic trend in the growing disconnection from commercial behaviour and reality, society and morality.
The reality is the business owner won’t be able to resell that item, and you’ve just taken the value of that item right off their income. Not just the margin, but the whole cost – and they might have to sell 5 more items like that just to recover the loss.
You might think you’re dealing with a large corporation but you’re probably dealing with a franchisee trying to balance huge shopping centre rents and declining retail sales.