Shopaholic Anonymous ! !

"I am Manjushree, and I am a Shopaholic"

It is very difficult to confess this on a public forum but I guess there will be millions of girls out there, half of whom don't realize that they are shopaholic and other half don't have the courage to admit it... At least I am better off :P
Now, if you are reading this and you don't know what I am talking about.. You should watch the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic".. Its an awesome movie.. that describes "Shopaholics" completely..I have watched it a gazillion times and I absolutely love the way the movie has been carved out.. The script, screen play, casting, colors.. everything is perfect..
It a must watch for all marketers.. Shopaholic is a dream for every business..
I am one of these shopaholics but Now that I am doing my MBA in Marketing, I have started to restrict my indulgence..

How can you Identify a Shopaholic??
A typical shopaholic can be identified in the store playing around aimlessly.. They don't know what they want to buy and are in search of "Confidence and love".. Yes, you read it right.. They are basically low of confidence and have an external locus of control.. They will look towards a merchandise and if they feel a "connect" with it they'll buy it.. Even if they do not need it..

What is the motive behind the indulgence?
Well the motive is that they feel if they spend money and buy new merchandise then they'll feel good.. Usually they do it if  they are disappointed, angry or scared.Basically if they have chaos in their life, they feel new merchandise will help them get out of the loop.

What can a marketer do?
Well, A marketer should give what the customer wants.. Make  them feel special and describe how their life would become beautiful if they bought it.. You can actually sell them something that didn't feature on their list of things... A wise man once said to be " Its morally wrong to let naive customers keep their money".. So be it.. They get what they want and we get what we want thus the transaction is complete.. After all they are paying for their need satisfaction so there is nothing unethical about it..

What can you do If you are a shopaholic?
Well do what I did.. Carry two wallets.. One with your card and other with cash.. Keep the card away from you when you shop..Withdraw as less cash as possible.. When you feel the need to indulge..Tell yourself that if you do not shop anything extra you will indulge yourself with a chocolate..(Trust me positive reinforcement actually works)

How I know so much about it?
Well I belong to the intersection set.. :)
I am a self confessed shopaholic as well as a marketer..

I would like to end with my favorite lines from the movie "Confessions of...":
'Because when I shop.. The world becomes a better place to live"...