Has marketing ever made you buy something you should not have?

Yes, and I can remember it very clearly because the regret is still fresh whenever I look at the item. It was a pair of shoes. At first, I didn’t even plan on buying them. I had just stepped into the shop to look around, and I saw the shoes. They were nice, no doubt. The design caught my eye immediately and for a moment I imagined myself wearing them out, walking confidently, maybe pairing them with a nice outfit. But there was just one problem they weren’t my size.

I told the shop owner straight up that the shoes didn’t fit. Normally, that should have been the end of the story. But this man wasn’t ready to let me go. He launched into a kind of marketing sermon, telling me the shoe looked perfect on me, that it was better for shoes to be a little tight at first because they would “expand tomorrow” once I wore them. He made it sound like I would be missing out on the deal of a lifetime if I didn’t take those shoes.

He didn’t stop there. He kept praising the quality, pointing out how durable the shoes were and how someone else might just walk in and buy them if I hesitated. The way he carried the whole marketing thing on his head was impressive, honestly. I don’t even know when I gave in. One moment I was resisting, and the next moment I was making a transfer. It wasn’t really that I needed the shoes, it was more like I had been convinced, almost pressured, into believing that if I didn’t buy them right there and then, I was making a mistake.

The regret started almost immediately after. The first time I wore them, I couldn’t even make it through the day. They were so tight that I had to stop on the road and buy slippers. That was the moment reality hit me: I had just wasted my money. Since then, those shoes have been sitting in my house doing nothing. I can’t wear them because of the pain. None of my siblings can use them either because they don’t fit anyone. They’re just there, taking up space.

Sometimes when I look at them, I laugh at myself for being so easily swayed. Other times, it annoys me because that money could have been used for something more important. The only plan I have now is to dash them out eventually. At least that way, they won’t just sit there wasted.

That whole experience really opened my eyes. Marketing is no joke, once someone knows how to talk, they can make you do what you already know you shouldn’t. Deep down, I knew those shoes weren’t my size, but the way the shop owner kept sweet-talking and packaging his words made me ignore my own instincts. That’s how I ended up with something I shouldn’t have bought.

In the end, I can say marketing really got me that day. Not because I truly wanted the shoes, but because I allowed myself to be carried away by someone else’s convincing tone. And that’s how I ended up with a pair of shoes that I can’t wear, can’t use, and had no business buying in the first place.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING.

Posted Using INLEO