Finding the right one is difficult!

As read in the title, it is very difficult to find the right one. A petite person like me has to find the one that suits me best. When it comes to the size, which is very difficult because I live in Europe, where most people are (much) taller than me. Well, here I talk about finding the right jacket, what else did you think?

I have been living two winters with cheap and poor quality winter jackets. One of them I bought from H&M, for 100 NOK(yes, it was on sale), back in 2009... It just tells me that it is time to get a new winter jacket, A GOOD ONE. A real investment!

Today after the class, I went to the library to read. I know this has nothing with finding the right jacket to do, but I will get there soon! Anyways, after reading for three hours, three articles and one chapter, I started to lose focus, because before that I had class for three hours. And this morning when I woke up my left eye hurt really bad. It felt like someone has stabbed something into the inner-eye corner. I dropped using contact lenses and decided to wear glasses instead. I got these glasses in my last year of high school, which means that the glasses have not been updated since then. It was a tiring day for my eyes and my mind too. Why my mind, you may ask? Because the last evening, me and my group worked on a paper that we really wanted to hand in before 9pm, but we was running out of time and were stressing for hours to finish it. Yes, we managed to hand it in JUST IN TIME, but we all got messed up. I came home, an hour later I was still shaking...

So, back to the jacket hunting. Then I decided to go to MANGO to check if there are any jackets that I might like. I tried on two, but the one that I like the best is the blue one.

Picture from MANGO

Picture from MANGO

Here are my thoughts about the green parkas: I like that it has detachable shearling lining, so you could use it when it gets warmer as well. I had a parkas once, but I forgot it at a hotel and I would like to get a new one, but what I really need right now is a jacket for winter. Therefore I chose this one away, besides, it costs 999 NOK.

My thoughts about the blue coat: I like the color very much. Perfect total length and also perfect sleeve length. Feels good when wearing. I tried it in XS and as always it was a little tight around the shoulder part: issue #1. It is quilted feather jacket and I want to be animal-friendly: issue #2. The buttons on the chest, I personally do not like them: issue #3. It costs 799 NOK: issue #4. I have no idea if it gets soaked when it snows/rains, or if it is wind-proof: issue #5.

So I sent my mom a picture of me with the coat on...

She liked it, but she said that I have to make the decision myself, because I know if I better than her if I can afford it or not. Yes, the belt is missing, but I hope they give it when you purchase it... I am complicated and it is hard to find the right one.

Therefore, I need your opinion! Tell me if I should go for it or not and give me a reason. Help!

-Patch

From school straight to my heart(and my mind)

I am on my second year of the college university, studying tourism with business. Some couple of weeks ago, while reading a book in one of the business subjects, I discovered a quote that shot me right to my heart. The quote tells us about how the consumer behavior has changed over the last century. 

"People no longer buy shoes to keep their feet warm and dry. They buy because of the way the shoes make them feel -masculine, feminine, rugged, different, sophisticated, young, glamorous, 'in'. Buying shoes has become an emotional experience" -Kotler

Before I started on this study, or school, I never had an idea of how we, the consumers, behave and that the people who do the marketing can actually analyzing us. After I have been into this kind of thing for a year and a half, I keep learning new things everyday. I have to say that the study has changed me and the way I behave as a consumer. Before I used to buy things I thought it could represent "me", now I think a lot more about the product if I should or should not buy it. I use longer time in the stores, just to think about whether I really need it, or if it is going to be practical and useful... I think about EVERYTHING! Now, I am not a big fan of brands, unless the cosmetic brands that I adore or a brand that I have got "the emotional" connection to, such as Canon, Nokia and Converse.

When I buy clothes, I think about the style(I do not want it to be super trendy, because it will be harder to use it when it is not 'in' anymore), the color(I buy a color that can basically match the most in my closet), the texture(I know the sheer tops are so in lately, but I do not buy these because of the climate in Norway and also that I need to have something beneath the top.. just lots of work!) and the price(is the price to high for the requirements that I mentioned earlier?).

When I buy cosmetics, I can go all over it when it is sale. Yes, I am a woman and it is a woman nature that we let the sale fool us sometimes. Still, I have a lot in mind before I decide to buy a product, so yes, I use a lot of time deciding. I like trying the product first, of course. I like to see how the color is like on my skin. How the texture is and will it smudge easily? Is the color pigmented according to the price? Does it give you what it claims to? Sometimes, I just try a product, get out of the store, come home and think about it and if I am really unsure I also do research about the product.

When I buy shoes, I think about the size, the comfort, the quality, the heights and the price. I have small, feet and I always have trouble finding the perfect pair. If you are petite, you probably know what it feels like. It sucks! If the shoes that I have picked out has the comfort, the quality, acceptable heights and price, but they seem to be slippery on the normal floor -there is NO WAY that I would buy this pair!

When I buy bags, I prefer the that the bag is not real leather. Why? First, it costs more. Second, I can not stand the smell. Third, I try to be a smart consumer -I guess. LOL. Since that I am petite, I have to find a bag that is not too big, so it makes me look even more tiny than what I actually am. I require that that bag has to be practical for many occasions, such like school, shopping, traveling, café-visits etc. I also think about design and color. And of course, if the price matches what it offers. I have been hunting for the perfect bag for over two months, but I have not found any. So right now, the smartest solution that I could come up with is to switch bags for the right occasion and it is tiring, because I always forget something.

When I buy grocery, I am not that picky. Still I might use half an hour when I do the big weekly shopping. Sometimes choosing a bread could be a challenge for me.

Living and dealing with everything of these is hard, but I hope soon that it will sink in and be a part of me, because I definitely like that I think before I buy things. It helps to keep my bank account looking healthy.

Tell me, what kind of behavior do you have as a consumer? What runs to your mind when you are deciding if you should buy that product or not?

Have an awesome week, guys!

-Patch