Always the minority...

I wanted to buy a winter jacket... Fairly easy task living in Bozeman? WRONG! It seems a female over the height of 5'10" - specifically with a long torso - has the most limited choice in Jackets in the world! I went to every single store in Bozeman that stocks jackets and tried on probably every single jacket ever designed! I came up with only 3 that would actually fit me. I eventually decided on a Northface jacket, but I don’t like that I bought it essentially because it was the best of what I could find rather than one that I absolutely loved. 

Maybe it's the smaller town, but now when I think that I may like one or two more jackets for the winter (since the idea of wearing the same thing everyday doesn’t work for me), I get all squeamish and think I’ll wait till I head to Seattle with friends after Finals. Bigger city, bigger selection? I darn well hope so!

I am amazed that in America, clothing is so cheap compared with New Zealand. I went on a shopping trip on Friday that turned into a shopping spree when i found how cheap clothing is. My American friends were astonished at how much things cost when i quoted them equivalent New Zealand clothing prices. When it's all I've know for as a Kiwi, it's not so bad, but now my eyes are opened to the possibilities of cheaper, equivalent style, quality, clothing... I don't want to go back to the high New Zealand costs...

Great Ads From NZL.

L&P is an iconic fizzy drink (pop) in New Zealand. Their ad campaigns are consistanly focused on promoting 'Kiwiana'. Which is all things related to how New Zealanders do 'it'.

I wanted to share these with you, hope you enjoy :)

Locked In.

I have technically bought a car, I put a deposit on it today and am currently waiting for the wire transfer of funds from NZL to my American bank account...
Who would have thought though that buyers remorse would kick in PRIOR to actually receiving the item?? Not me, though I have never bought a car this way before, has always been - "nice, looks good, works well, runs fine, I'LL TAKE IT", none of this, deposit then waiting business.
Friends have been helpful in minimising the level of remorse though. As they get excited, I get excited, and they help me to think of the benefits and how I can even use it to be a blessing to others. I will post a photo of it when I get it, currently I only have a mental image of it and we don't currently have the technology for me to  upload to the world wide web...

Big Ticket Purchasing.

I am currently in the process of trying to find a car for the year that I am on exchange at MSU.  I am becoming more and more aware of my 'buying habbits'.  It makes me laugh that my frustration in not being able to find a vehicle with the specifications I want leads me to re-think the specifications I want, and why I want them.  It is probably a good thing that I have a friend helping me with the search, because right now, I am probably a car salesman's dream...  They could quite possibly sway me to buying something totally not what I want, and I would go along with it to have this experience behind me.

What I Thought I Knew.

WELCOME! This is my blog on Consumer Behavior.  Stop by whenever you get a chance, it will be filled with the quirky & weird behavior of consumers, myself included, and the occasional mind blowing revelation on why we do what we do. These will typically follow after I realize something about myself and my habits... Humans are so weird, it's great to understand ourselves!

Here's a thinker: Is the study of consumer behavior only useful for ultimately manipulation? Can emphasis on ethics eliminate any possible problems?

Back soon, Mo xo