Having read an article on the Stanford Graduate School of Business' website regarding some research that was conducted on shopping I have come to the conclusion that my purchasing habits are either severely outside the norm (always a possibility) or this survey did not take clothes shopping into account. Take a look at the entire article and see what you think but, in the meantime, here are a few sentences that especially caught my eye...and some snippets of what passed through my mind as I read them...

The researchers also learned that the more the first item was perceived to be a luxury buy––with the associated guilt––the less likely people were to make a second purchase.
Obviously the researchers had never seen me at Prada...or Barneys...or Selfridges...or, well, almost anywhere...as, after one luxury buy, it always seems alarmingly easy to make a second.

“Stores should put momentum starters at the front of the store––things like newspapers and umbrellas in the rainy season, which don’t require a lot of deliberation. Those kinds of things can get customers on a shopping roll,”
Personally, an umbrella is unlikely to start a shopping frenzy...neither is anything vaguely utilitarian...but, to each his own.

“If you’re out doing Christmas shopping,” for example, says Khan, “buy that indulgent item for yourself first. That will curb your shopping!”
Though I'm not going to argue with the concept (i.e. get yourself an "indulgent item" first), I can state categorically that this doesn't work...you get your gift, everyone else gets their gifts, and the end result is your credit card is scorched.