How not to overspend at sales: Ways to avoid retailer tricks, cognitive biases that make you binge during

AT SALE When you specially visit a mall where a Diwali sale is on and spend two hours going through the vast array of items on display, you are bound to buy things even if you dont need them because you have invested too much time, money and energy in the entire exercise and will be unable to leave without buying anything.. ANCHORING BIAS..

AT SALE You may believe you are too rational and disciplined to be swayed by sales, and you may go online or to a mall with a list of things you want to buy, but when you are bombarded with thousands of items and discounts, it will be nearly impossible to turn away without buying excessively...

Also known as scarcity bias, this trick shows up in the form of messages like only one left in stock, offer till stocks last and countdowns showing how much time you are left with to purchase an item, among many others.Family packs: A good trick to make shoppers buy more is offering products in large quantities with a discounted price..

In all likelihood, positive reviews will nudge you into buying the product.Sense of loyalty: Free samples, reward schemes and loyalty cards create a sense of commitment and obligation, egging on shoppers to buy more.Store layout: A meandering layout or the separate entry and exit in a mall store is not for your convenience or streamlining traffic, but to take you through as many product categories and aisles as possible to lure you into buying something.Nudging: Helpful reminders, especially for FMCG products, to buy something you bought earlier, or because the price has dropped by Rs.10, will make you pick up the item, says Pai...

Also research the products actual value and price history to assess the authenticity of discounts, says Dr. Kohli.Use price tracking & comparison websites, apps: Such sites are a good tool to conduct research on prices. com and iSpyPrice.com help you compare prices across retailer sites like Amazon and Flipkart, while tracking sites like Price History and KaroBargain help you check price history and track bargains.Sleep over it: If you are prone to making impulsive purchases, the best course of action is to sleep over your decision..