My husband firmly believes he is a marketing directors worst nightmare. It is true, he can see an ad on television dozens of times before he even notices it. He doesn’t notice the flashing ads on the computer, the billboards along the road, or the coupon tear pads and displays in the stores.
Which is worse, because he misses all the great deals 🙂
But I think he’s exactly what they target. Because he’s a creature of habit. Here’s one example:
A few years ago, the new Pledge Dusters came out, with try it free coupons, $3 coupons came out on the weeks CVS ran the sale price of $3. Swiffer dusters came out with competing coupons and deals. And even though I had never used one before, I tried it, liked it, and stocked up while they were free.
DH complained. Alot. He complained about the storage space they took up. He complained that I was wasting money, even though they were free, because it was something we never used, didn’t need, and would end up tossing out. He complained that there was a third sale, and a fourth. He complained that we wouldn’t need dusters for a year. And, he complained that I didn’t clean that much!
My response was that of COURSE I would use them! Allergens clung to them, they were fast and convenient (did he really not see the commercials 🙂 ) I did agree that once we used them up, we were done. Unless another deal came out. They are really expensive at full price!
After my accident, DH started cleaning house with me, and often does the dusting. No surprise, he really likes the dusters. Convenient, easy to use, easy to dispose of, and he really likes the handle. Big husband hands and tiny little knick knacks, that handle beats the dust cloth for him.
Oh well…it’s been about two years since the repeated free deals stocked my shelves with dusters. Since then, other products, and more eco-friendly ones to boot, have come out with their own deals. Yet, when I asked DH if we needed anything before I went out to shop, his response was that we are getting low on “those duster thingys”.
Need? Well, not exactly. A cloth works just as well. I stockpiled the new hypoallergenic Endust spray when the $2 coupon came out and it was $2 on sale, and I really like it. Less trash, less waste, and certainly less out of pocket costs. It cleans well, and I can just toss the cloths into the laundry.
But DH is a creature of habit, and his habit is now dusters. He doesn’t like change, which is what those marketing executives count on when they put out those super deals. Try a product, like it, and you’ll pay whatever it costs at regular price.
We all have those special brands, the products we feel like we can’t live without. It’s just so much easier to toss whatever you are used to into the shopping cart without considering the costs, or alternatives. But in tough economic times, brand loyalty, and even product loyalty, may be a luxury that most can’t afford.
We’ll be using dust rags 🙂
