Buyer Beware

I was out walking around the other day and found myself smack dab in the center of New York City’s Buyer Trap. See, the thing about New York City, is that it doesn’t have any malls. Well, there are some in Long Island, but no one goes to Long Island unless he/she lives there (no offense Long Islanders, but you know it’s true). So, where are all the stores? That’s a good question my friends. The stores are everywhere!

We, New Yorkers, we like to walk a lot. Walking is good for the soul (so I hear). And while we’re out walking, what do we see – stores! Stores, stores, and more stores! We spy something new and shiny in the window and say, “Oh, that’s nice. I like that. Maybe I should take a little look; just to see how it looks up close; I might not even like it then.” Oh yeah, go ahead and lie to yourself. And once we see it up close, it’s love at first sight, and we absolutely must have it (shakes head). We say to ourselves, “Oh, the price is not that bad.” This is the New York City Buyer’s Trap - you didn’t even intend to buy anything when you so naively headed out onto the big, mean city streets. But once you pass all those stores flashing those “Sale” signs, you are automatically transformed into a buyer.



It’s okay, you’re not alone. I know you head home with your new purchase; one half of you wanting to kick yourself for succumbing, the other half wanting to give yourself a high five. I too know this feeling.

Unfortunately friends, there isn’t much you can do to avoid being bamboozled by this city. Even if you know the truth, you’re still liable to fall victim to slashed prices. All you can do is tell yourself that in this recession, you have done your job to help stimulate the economy. Now go ahead - pat yourself on the back for a job well done.