Cheap thrills come at a real price

Confess.

Do you have clothes in your closet you've never worn but bought because the price was good?

What about $5 movies from Walmart? Do you have a stack next to your television? And how often have you watched them?

No matter how disciplined you think you are, research shows that we as Americans love the idea of a good deal.

It's something that easily lures us in, even in this economy, when spending is down and savings rates are up, according to Ellen Ruppel Shell, an author and professor at Boston University.

"You get your juices going about getting great deals, and you get distracted from the actual product," said Shell. "It is easy for most of us to become distracted by the shiny bobble of low price."

Shell recently wrote a book titled "Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture" that analyzes the history of pricing in America and how the pursuit of bargains and "cheap" stuff is not the best consumer or economic strategy.

The book has been criticized and applauded. For Shell, one of the purposes behind her book is to make Americans more aware how society has over-emphasized price, rather than the actual value of a product.

She wants us to be smarter shoppers. Look for deals, but make sure the deals are on quality items. Don't buy something cheap that will break down after a few uses.

"Rely on your own good sense, and remember what your grandmother and grandfather said: You get what you pay for," Shell said during a recent phone conversation.

But it's still not easy.

There are about 18 million Americans who would consider themselves shopaholics, according to psychologist April Lane Benson.

And for the rest of society, there is still a psychological thrill that comes from buying.

"I've known stories of people in my experience who have maxed out every card they have ever owned and are losing their home, and in the end, it's not the thing they're buying," said University of Utah sociologist Theresa Martinez.

"It almost has nothing to do with the thing. It's because of the way the shopping process makes them feel."

For shopaholics, the urge to spend is often tied to a need to fill some sort of void in their life, according to Martinez.

One "void" could be a lack of hope, while another reason could be to compensate for being dissatisfied with your life. Other reasons include stress, a lack of joy, the desire to uphold a certain image and the need to feel in control.

Consider the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic." In the film, the main character is addicted to shopping, even though she has no money. For the character, shopping makes her feel better about her life, said Martinez.

"Shopping is like a drug," Martinez said. "Just like someone uses heroine or cocaine, some people shop. It becomes just like alcohol. It can be very addictive, shopping."