Hungry Shoppers Buy More Stuff

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(MINNEAPOLIS) — In a study that retailers will no doubt find interesting, researchers at the University of Minnesota say that shopping on an empty stomach is probably not the wisest idea for budget-conscious consumers.

To put it simply, hunger makes people purchase more articles, whether at a supermarket or a department store.

Lead researcher Alison Jing Xu contends that hunger pangs don’t make things more appealing inasmuch as they trigger the sheer desire just to buy something.

Xu says that shoppers sometimes experience a kind of buyer’s remorse after the fact as people try to figure just why they bought what they bought.

The U. of Minnesota team based their findings on five different studies involving participants who either were allowed to take home free stuff or had gone shopping at a large department store.

In all the studies, those who were hungry tended to pick up more things than the participants whose appetites were satisfied.

The fundamental message for consumers then is to make sure you’ve got something in your stomach before beginning any shopping excursion.

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