When I was about 6 years old, I talked my parents into letting me get a kitten. I begged them for a female white kitty with blue eyes. I wailed on and on about how much I wanted one, and how I would take care of it, if they would just please, please give in to my
very specific request.
The first litter of kitties we went to see had only one kitty left- a male black kitten with green eyes. Not exactly what I had described, but close enough. I
had to have him!!
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just the kitten i had in mind! |
And that has pretty much been my buying style ever since.
Impulsive.
Fermin, on the other hand, is whatever the opposite of impulsive is. If he's going to buy luggage for example, he's going to go to a few stores, and look at all the different brands he can find. Then he's going to come home, get on the computer and read all the reviews he can find about them. He'll probably take a look at Consumer Reports to see which brands they recommend. This research will go on for weeks until he finally feels confident in a decision and he'll buy the luggage he has decided is the best. Then he will continue to look for it everywhere he goes, just to make sure he got the best deal, even weeks after making his purchase.
A few weeks ago, after we both got eyeglass prescriptions from our doctor, we went to an eyewear store together to pick out our very first pair of glasses.
Fermin looked around at all the men's glasses, trying most of them on, and then decided to continue looking elsewhere. I, on the other hand, tried on just a handful of pairs before deciding on some I thought looked decent on my face. I ordered up the lenses, and was told they'd be ready in about a week. Done and done. Totally happy with my decision.
Until I went with Fermin to the next eyewear store a day or two later. This store had a way bigger selection. I immediately found a different pair I liked so much better than any I had seen at the last place. In a panic, I called the previous store to ask if I could cancel my order. They said I could.
Whew!
In the time it took me to buy a second pair, and cancel my first order, Fermin continued trying on more glasses. They all looked good on him, and in fact, I couldn't tell much of a difference between a lot of the ones he picked out. But he said he wanted to keep on looking.
I was so glad to be done with my search and happy with the pair I purchased.
And this place had an in-house technician so I got to take them home with me that day!
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my first pair of eyeglasses |
I wore them later that night, when we flipped on the TV. I felt like I was watching HD TV for the first time. Such a clear picture! But Fermin, of course, didn't have his glasses yet, so I just described how awesome the viewing was.
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well, I thought I was happy with these... |
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seriously, this 3rd pair is IT! |
The next day, we went to yet another eyewear store for Fermin. The second I walked thru the door, I found THE glasses for me. Much smaller frames that fit my face better and just felt right.
I had to have them! Fermin also found a pair he loved at this place-
finally.
As it turned out, because of all my buying and returning and mind changing, my insurance needed a little time to get caught up, and couldn't kick in for the new glasses until the 2nd returned ones cleared the system.
Because of that little hiccup, Fermin and I both ended up getting our glasses about a week and a half later. Now we are a family of 4 eyes. Well, I guess that's a family of 8 eyes. Plus Lucy and Ricky's eyes. Okay!!!- a family of 12 eyes! (See? I'm impulsive in my logic, too.)
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the final decisions on eyewear have been made! |
Fermin and I arrived at the same place-the land of wearing glasses, at the same time. Our journey getting there was just a little different. Impulsive Shopper Vs. The Calm and Deliberate Shopper. In this case, it was a tie.