WASHINGTON — In your effort to save, you may have signed up for a membership at a warehouse store such as Costco or Sam’s Club. True, such stores do have great bargains, but have you ever found yourself at the checkout line with one too many boxes of pasta or a book you didn’t really need? You’re not alone. Researchers have found that discounts often drive people to buy more.
Michael Norton, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, and Leonard Lee, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School, are co-author of a study on warehouse stores and consumer behavior.
They found that the membership fees made the consumers think the club offered better deals, and so they bought more than planned. So how can you avoid walking out with too many loaves of bread? Make a shopping list. It’s as simple as that, Norton said. Know exactly what you need and buy only that. Avoid the book aisle. “This is the absolute key,” Norton said. Nancy Trejos, The Washington Post
