Guilt-Free Shopping: 4 Tricks For Bringing Back That Just-Splurged, Happy Feeling

If retailers think their summer sales look too good to resist right now, they may want to hold that thought until August. That’s about how long, on average, Americans are willing to wait for a good retail deal—57 days, or about two months. The wait is fostered by remorse. Big purchases make more than half of all shoppers feel a sense of loss and guilt, according to a survey of 2,000 U.S. shoppers by online coupon site RetailMeNot. So many just wait it out until the price dips to an accepted comfort level, either by reduction or by coupon. This is in direct conflict with how the Great American Shopping Splurge has been characterized for many years. The retail binge—a willingness to give in, to abandon caution and thrift—is supposed to be a reward, often a deserved one. It may not be a new development that so many people feel guilty about indulging, but the willingness to wait so long signals a break in reward mentality. Read more at Forbes.