In response to Doug K's question

What factors most heavily impact your impulse buying? Do you think that companies can predict impulse buying, if so how? If not what can we do better to predict them?

I don't do much impulse buying anymore but I used to. Going into a grocery store or any store that has food, candy, soda and drinks is what we call impulse buying. These stores put these items there on purpose. They want you to impulse buy while you are waiting in line to check out. I know this because I've worked in a place like that before and I've been one who impulse buys while waiting line. Sometimes I hadn't had lunch yet or dinner so grabbing a candy bar for the ride home would hold me over till then. I can definitely control my impulse buying now for the most part but when I was young I had no idea.
Companies know that people tend to impulse buy while waiting in line to check out and they also set up these end caps at stores so people will be more likely to grab something as they walk by. I work at target and thats why our end caps are so important, that is where a lot of our sales come from. Companies can definitely predict impulse buying which is why check lanes are set up the way there are. Even having good deals on products or specials will help with impulse buying. I've gone into a store before not planning on coming out with what I did, but the deals were to good to pass up. Stores know what they are doing and plan on people to impulse buy.

If more and more people understood impulse buying and that companies do this to get you to buy, do you think people would still do it? Would they cut back on the candy bars and magazine spending as they wait in line? Or do people just not care and or notice?

Consumer Buying Decision Process

The consumer buying decision process is a five-stage purchase decision process that inlcudes problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase and postpurchase evaluation. Everyone experiences problem recognition. It's when a buyer becomes aware of a difference between a desired state and an actual condition. For example I have a calculater that I use for all of my classes, but one of my classes requires a financial calculater, so I had to go out and buy a new calcualter to meet my actual condition.
Information search is the next stage. After one recognizes the need and or problem, the buyer then searches for product information that will satisfy the need. When I learned I needed a financial calculater I asked my teacher about the brands, then went for the cheapest one. Evaluation of alternatives is the third stage and states that a successful information search yields a group of brands that a buyer views as possible alternatives for possible purchase. Reading up on brands and customer reviews can help narrow your list and give you the best brand for your product.
The fourth stage is purchase and this is when the consumer chooses the product and buys it. The last stage is postpurchase evalutaion and this is something that everyone experiences. Maybe you buy something you have been wanting for a long time but it's expensive and you have bills to pay for. But then one day you buy it anyways and after you buy it you start to regret it and wish you never purchased it. This is called cognitive dissonance and I know personally I have experienced it many times. I love what I'm buying at the time but in a day or two I wonder why I every bought it.

Is there a time when you experienced cognitive dissonance after purchasing something? In order to avoid this feeling of cognitive dissonance should we think and do more research before buying a product? Is there to much impulse buying going on? What do you think about consumers and their spending habits?