The Chronic Consumer

I purchased a Kindle ebook reader about six or seven weeks ago, and am planning to write a detailed review of the device pretty soon. I waited so long because I wanted to really get to know the device and experience its pros and cons over an extended period before writing about it.

Without giving away too much right now, let me just say that I love the Kindle and am very happy with my purchase! Almost everything about my experience with the device has been terrific, from the moment I received the device until now. In fact, probably the biggest beef I have about Kindle is the way it comes in such nice packaging. I didn’t want to risk damaging the package with my box cutter, so I tried to get the shrink-wrap off by hand, which took me forever!

At any rate, I’ve definitely got enough experience and info to write my review. I just need to set aside some time to do it!

A few people have asked me if I follow a particular process when I shop. I guess what they mean is, do I do a lot of research, compare prices, haggle with sellers, etc. This is actually a good question because following a good shopping process can end up saving tons of money in the long run.

The short answer for me is that yes, I do have a shopping process, but whether I follow it or not depends on what I’m planning to buy. For example, if I want to buy the latest novel from my favorite author, I just do it without thinking about it. But if I want to buy a big-ticket item, like a Toyota Prius or even Wilmington NC real estate, then you better believe I have a process!

Here are the steps I typically follow when considering large purchases:

• Read expert and consumer reviews of all comparable products.
• Decide which features I must have, and which are expendable.
• Find a product that has all the features I want.
• Read more reviews about the particular brand/model I’ve chosen.
• Start comparing prices from various retailers.
• Read customer reviews about the retailers that offer the lowest prices.
• Select a retailer based on good reviews and/or past personal experience.
• Purchase product.

This process doesn’t take very long at all, and has definitely saved me money over the years. Plus, I’ve been able to avoid a couple of potentially disastrous shopping experiences thanks to vetting merchants prior to ordering, so who knows what other kind of damage I’ve saved myself from.

Obviously, your own shopping process doesn’t have to incorporate these exact same steps, but as long as you do something similar instead of making impulse purchases, you should be ok!