# Why do parents stop buying? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873 "2012-05-23T20:25:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/41 "2012-05-24T01:19:28Z")
Back when I took marketing, I learned that only a handful of things actually had an inelastic demand pattern (the classic example being heroin to an addict.) Everything else is subject to a complex combination of cost, availability, competition, preference, substitution, brand image, etc. In other words, some days you want to buy an iced coffee from that vendor, some days you don’t. As for Johnny and his parents, he’ll spoil his dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/42 "2012-05-24T03:18:08Z")
Probably when they bought him a bag of chips and soda that first week they viewed it as a individual event and not the start of a tradition. You take your kids out to a movie one weekend. That doesn’t mean you’re going to take them out to a movie every weekend. You’ll take them out to other movies and buy them other snacks. But you’re not obligated to follow a schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/43 "2012-05-24T03:31:40Z")
Consumer behavior is pretty widely studied. Dip your toe in the waters, read [Why We Buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416595244) by Paco Underhill ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/44 "2012-05-24T04:41:15Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Say there’s an adult who likes to hang out at Central Park weekly. There’s a vendor that sells snacks and beverages. Terry buys an iced coffee for $3.00, enjoys it, but nevers buys that or anything else. Why did he stop buying. Again, forever. > Say t Because when he was a child, his parents used to buy him chips and soda when they took him to this particular gas station. One day, they just … stopped. Little Johnny had no idea why, and the psychological damage it did to him never came up with his psychologist. He never thought of it as having a major effect–just that every once in a while, after forming some sort of otherwise innocuous pleasant habit, he’ll abruptly stop it. Of course, had he thought to mention it, it might have explained the endless stream of corpses he left behind and gotten him to stop killing earlier, but that’s a question for a different thread. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/45 "2012-05-24T05:45:35Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Because when he was a child, his parents used to buy him chips and soda when they took him to this particular gas station. One day, they just … stopped. Little Johnny had no idea why, and the psychological damage it did to him never came up with his psychologist. He never thought of it as having a major effect–just that every once in a while, after forming some sort of otherwise innocuous pleasant habit, he’ll abruptly stop it. Of course, had he thought to mention it, it might have explained the endless stream of corpses he left behind and gotten him to stop killing earlier, but that’s a question for a different thread. You’re funny… and kind of scary. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/46 "2012-05-24T05:51:22Z")
Does it show that right before I posted I was reading the [creepy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=650053)thread? ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/47 "2012-05-24T05:52:23Z")
Maybe Johnny’s parents were just horrible people and stopped feeding him all together. We will be hearing about him any day now when some social worker finds him in the locked back bedroom. > [@](#): > > What would stop an adult from buying a certain item? For me it’s simple, lack of money. Even cheep things can add up when you are on a limited income. Otherwise I would have a rentboy here every week to do my house work while I sipped ice tea.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/48 "2012-05-24T06:06:40Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Say Johnny and his parents stop buy a paticular gas station weekly for gas. On their very first visit his parents get Johnny a bag of chips and a soda. Total cost $3.00. Johnny loves it and eats it all. However in the following weeks, johnny’s parents refuse to buy him the chips and soda. > > Why? > > Johnny like it and eats it. His parents are well off, plus his snack is only $3.00, so money isn’t a problem. What is the source of the parents resistance? I don’t know. Why don’t you ask them? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/49 "2012-05-24T11:13:55Z")
**Diamonds02** : A thought just occurred to me. Are you looking for explanations of the hypotheticals, justifications, or guidance on how \*you \*can develop some impulse control? If you clarify your goals we can often offer better answers. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/50 "2012-05-24T11:28:00Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > What Ive learned from \*\*my marketing courses \*\*and training at my current employment, many consumers operate the way I do…supposedly. There’s a reason sames are handed out, to get people hooked. Even drug dealers use this practice. > > This is all interesting to me and I would like to pick the brains of non-habitual or one-time buyers. [bolding mine] I think the bolded section may be a clue as to why Diamonds is so curious about this issue. mmm ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/51 "2012-05-24T11:33:11Z")
Spontaneous impulse behavior, by definition, tends to occur spontaneously in response to impulse. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/52 "2012-05-24T12:22:54Z")
Some people are creatures of habit, like you. You go to the same bar every Thursday. You order your beer. You have chosen to acquire a habit that almost requires you to make a purchase, and you choose the same thing each time because you aren’t very adventurous. Me, I go to choir practice on Thursdays. That’s my acquired habit, and it doesn’t require a purchase.But I also don’t go every Thursday. And sometimes I stop at the Circle K on the way home and buy my PepsiMax to take to work the next day…and sometimes I don’t. I’m not wedded to the habit. And while my weekly grocery shopping list is virtually the same each week, I don’t ALWAYS buy the same stuff, or the same brands, or go to the same store. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/53 "2012-05-24T12:30:23Z")
As a marketer of consumables, you want consumers to establish habits, and some will. Others won’t. For three years I ate at least twice a week at a certain Chipotle. I haven’t been there in six months. I switched jobs and haven’t been within ten miles of the place. Moreover, I haven’t been to a Chipotle more than twice - my old company didn’t have a good cafeteria, but had a ton of places nearby - now I have a good cafeteria, and a derth of places nearby. Only my son likes Chipotle, so I don’t go after work. I have a kid who is big on “let’s stop at the gas station and get me chips and a pop.” And sometimes I say yes. Most of the time I say no. He’s a skinny active kid, but I know skinny active kids can develop habits in eating, get desk jobs, and struggle…so I don’t want to make chips and soda a regular part of his diet when its in my control. And I’ve watched people who put $3 a day into the vending machine who complain about not having enough money to pay the rent - $3 seems affordable, but if you are searching the couch cushions every month for the last $50 to get the bills paid, I know where that money went. On the other hand, its a good sometimes treat. As a parent, I’m trying to fight the habitual consumption of something simply because its a habit that tastes good and is affordable - it needs to do more. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/54 "2012-05-24T12:50:15Z")
My wife used to go by Starbucks every day and get a pastry and one of those coffees that somehow costs 4 bucks. One time she added up the cost for a year and stopped going to Starbucks. I was glad. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/55 "2012-05-24T13:12:43Z")
And sometimes the vendor creeps them out, with awkward, ill defined questions that lead no where. Yeah, they liked and can afford the ice cream, but ice cream is available everywhere. Why go back to the weird guy with the awkward vibe? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/56 "2012-05-24T13:27:36Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I think the bolded section may be a clue as to why Diamonds is so curious about this issue. I don’t think so. Why parents would stop buying junk food for their kid is a fundamentally different question than why someone would habitually buy something for themselves. I think the OP’s question is very strange, and there’s something I find mildly disturbing about it, perhaps in part because it is so vague. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/57 "2012-05-24T13:29:16Z")
If you’re buying a 500-calorie coffee drink every day, you could lose about a pound a week (or slow your weight gain by a pound a week) by just cutting out that coffee drink, making no other changes to your lifestyle. If you kept that up for a year, you could lose 50 pounds, and save some money as well. You’d save over $1400 over the course of a year. These things do add up over time. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/58 "2012-05-24T13:31:05Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > A venti Frappucino has around 500 calories. They’re delicious, yes, but that’s about 1/4 of the total amount of calories you should be consuming in a day. So you can have 4 of them. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/59 "2012-05-24T13:36:45Z")
> [@](#): > > And I’ve watched people who put $3 a day into the vending machine who complain about not having enough money to pay the rent - $3 seems affordable, but if you are searching the couch cushions every month for the last $50 to get the bills paid, I know where that money went. > [@shiftless](#): > > My wife used to go by Starbucks every day and get a pastry and one of those coffees that somehow costs 4 bucks. One time she added up the cost for a year and stopped going to Starbucks. I was glad. Even if a person is only doing this on workdays, it really adds up. And adding up the cost per year or even per month can be a real eye opener. I started taking my lunch to work on most days when I added up the cost of even getting cheap fast food every day. It’s also useful to figure out how long one has to work in order afford that cup of coffee or the bag of Cheesy Poofs…and how long that coffee or snack lasts. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873/60 "2012-05-24T13:43:30Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > So you can have 4 of them. What’s the problem? Leap year, maybe? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-parents-stop-buying/622873.md?page=4)