5 sneaky ways retailers get you to overspend
Be a smart shopper and beware of these tricks designed to separate you from your money.
Jan, 2026
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Slide 1
Have you ever walked into a store or clicked on a website and come away with much more than you intended to buy? There’s a reason for that.
Holiday retail sales in 2023 hit a record $964.4 billion, including $276.8 billion in online sales. With all that spending going on, every retailer wants a piece of the action—and they’re willing to spend time and money to figure out how to keep you shopping. Learn some of their tricks, plus smart ways to avoid spending pitfalls.
Written byPatrick Sullivan.
Medically reviewed byAnn Wendling, MD, MPH.
Sources: National Retail Federation. NRF Says Census Data Shows 2023 Holiday Sales Grew 3.8% to Record $964.4 Billion. January 17 + 9
- National Retail Federation. NRF Says Census Data Shows 2023 Holiday Sales Grew 3.8% to Record $964.4 Billion. January 17, 2024.
- POPAI’S 2014 Mass Merchant Shopper Engagement Study.
- Iyer GR, Blut M, Xiao SH et al. Impulse buying: a meta-analytic review. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 48, 384–404; 2020.
- Federal Trade Commission. Internet Cookies. Last updated May 2021.
- Bankrate. Retail credit card interest rates skyrocket to 28.9% this holiday season, shoppers beware. October 23, 2023.
- Weingarten E, Wei Z. Nostalgia and consumer behavior. Curr Opin Psychol. 2023 Feb;49:101555.
- Puente-Díaz, R., Cavazos-Arroyo, J., & Awan, U. (2021). Experiential purchases, as memorable moments in consumers’ lives, trigger nostalgia. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1).
- Kulczynski, A., & Hook, M. (2024). Typography Talks: Influencing Vintage Anemoia and Product Safety Perceptions with Vintage Typography. Journal of Marketing, 88(4), 129-153.
- Lasaleta JD, Sedikides C, Vohs KD. Nostalgia Weakens the Desire for Money. Journal of Consumer Research. Volume 41, Issue 3, 1 October 2014, Pages 713–729.
- Suzanne Kapner. The Dirty Secret of Black Friday 'Discounts': How Retailers Concoct 'Bargains' for the Holidays and Beyond. Wall Street Journal. Updated November 25, 2013.
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