Get Your Kids to Buy Into Comparison Shopping
Comparison shopping can make a big difference to a family’s bottom line. But sometimes kids think their parents are being cheap when they insist on researching a purchase in advance of making it. Offering to give, allocate or match the resultant savings might be the best way to get your kids to (pun intended) buy into the benefits, of thinking before buying.
Most parents are natural comparison shoppers in their day to day lives. We become attuned to the price of items in our weekly baskets, notice when they are higher or lower than normal, and govern ourselves accordingly. We are motivated to comparison shop for larger purchases because the potential savings are even greater. Thanks to the widespread availability of online product reviews, which often include incredibly specific feature comparisons, and real-life user experiences, comparison shopping isn’t that hard to do. Coupon apps such as Flipp make the job even easier. The challenge comes when shopping with our kids, who tend to be more impulsive, don’t always understand the value of a dollar, or the full cost of their request(s). Watch how quickly comparison shopping becomes fun when you offer to give your children the savings they uncover for pocket money. Alternatively, your family could commit amassed savings over time to a larger more meaningful purchase. Many a trip to Disneyland has been paid for out of a weekly or monthly savings jar!
Gift Surveys were specifically designed to help kids research if a gift or request makes sense, and then help them graciously ask for whatever it is they believe they will really use and appreciate. When a child is answering DIMS (Does It Make Sense) Score questions, they learn about things like warranties and return policies, not to mention the anticipated cost per use of an item or the full cost of an experience which includes the safe transportation, snack and souvenir costs and not just the price of admission. When children happen upon an online review that underscores an opinion a parent may already possess, half your job is done. Click on the pink button below to see for yourself how easy it is to complete Gift Survey(s) while standing in a check-out line.
Comparison shopping, in addition to the obvious benefits, can even pave the way for families to engage in convenience shopping when necessary. Explain to your children that “If we are smart with our money when we can be, we might have the cash to buy something quickly when it could be helpful in the future.” Isn’t teaching our kids how good decisions today can deliver invaluable freedoms tomorrow at the heart of most parenting efforts?
The next time your daughter or son engages in “ophthalmic calisthenics” (eye rolling) at the prospect of using a coupon or driving to another store where the prices or return policies are superior, consider giving them the resultant savings. If the words “Thank You” don’t immediately fall out of their open mouths, we are convinced one day in the future, they will. Teaching your kids to think before they buy is one of the best gifts you can ever give them. If you ask us, sharing the immediate benefits of comparison shopping to deliver that gift, is money well spent.
