We often prioritize price over quality. Price is the main concern, given our average household set up but as the saying goes, ‘no good things, come free in life.’ The post-purchase dissonance is a real concern that almost every one of uS goes through after we have purchased a product that fails to meet our expectations, drowning us in the deep regrets that further continue to occur as the cycle never stops.
Have you ever thought why the products with the highest quality are available at prices that are hard to meet? Well, the product produced under a fine process, requires a heavy cost to pay, thus when it reaches the end consumer, it is expensive to buy. With that, our decision of buying changes to a product which is low in quality but in high regards of our pricing meet. The buying decision most of the time is only influenced by what the price is. Why our decision is based on such a term? I think most of us know the answer to it. We try to save but little do we know we are not saving rather it is just how psychological pricing is playing with us.
Let us have a look at why we should not choose cost over quality:
“Emptying The Wallet In Dungeon”
When price influences our decision to buy, we often fail to understand that the money we are trying to save is not actually going with our ideology of it. When a low-quality product is bought, there is a high chance that the same product will be bought again, thinking that it might be saving us cost, little do we know that our wallet is being emptied into a dungeon. Well now, what do you think? It is better to buy a good quality product than pay for a low-quality product over and over again.
For instance, if you buy a polyester bedsheet in summer. Its high absorption quality will make you suffer in sleep rather than give you restful sleep. It has no ventilating properties; thus it tarps in the sweat and dirt. This might infect you with allergies and rashes on your skin, topped with a night of restful sleep.
“Cognitive Dissonance”
Not only the wallet falls into the dungeon, but our emotional state also suffers from it. The regret causes us to think about it multiple times, especially when we have bought something expensive, but the quality is adverse. Yes, this happens. A high price does not always determine good quality. A high price product might be packaged in a box of lies. Your emotional state further beats you to the extent that you are highly disappointed in yourself and scared to not let go of the regret.
Most of the time people go into such deep regrets that they get highly annoyed and frustrated to the point where the uneasy and hollow feeling is hard to let go of. Thus, this strikes out another reason why one should never choose cost over quality. It is important to check reviews before buying. Thus, be careful.
“Paradox Of Choice”
Most of us might have heard this theory but might be unaware of its understanding. With the market being dynamic, opportunity costs have further increased the variety of things we can buy. However, this rules out quality overall. It further creates a sense of strong dissonance. This further influences our decision to buy. The psychological trick makes it difficult for us to buy and even makes us regret if we select one over the other.
This comparison can make you beat yourself to it. You might get thoughts such as ‘buying the other product, it was even available at a low price.’ This does not let you satisfy. Therefore, it is better to do research on the product or even have a basic understanding of the quality of a product to save yourself from post-purchase regret.
“Adverse Long-Term Impacts”
There is no doubt how highly the factor of price influences the buyer’s decision. However, when considering only the price factor it might lead you to a hole that it would be difficult for you to come out from. When compromised on quality, get ready for some negative impacts that will come with it. Perception vs reality is a big war that we often fail to take sides on. Price overpowers our decision to the extent, where it is difficult to walk out from. Thus, in the midst of this, we fail to recognize the negative impacts that come with it.
We want durable products with long life. For instance, if you buy synthetic fabric for your quilt covers because it was available at a low price, you compromised highly on the quality that linen or cotton fabric quilt covers would have given you. The synthetic fabric will wear out in a blink of an eye, further making you pay more to get another one, and saving you nothing. Thus buy a good quality product, regardless of its prices, as it is better to pay for a longevity product than for non-durable products.
