Paralyzed By Too Many Choices

I saw a woman from another country in the cereal aisle of a big grocery store almost ready to cry; there was just so much for her to find what she needed/wanted. I felt for her and sometimes feel that way myself. If you see someone struggling, try to help them find what they need because if is even more daunting for them than it is for us…

Clothes’ shopping is even more exasperating! Sizes are not consistent, styles often for the young and the selections are endless.Trying your choices at the store can be so exhausting!

I’ve had this problem shopping online for electronic or home improvement items. I’ll have 10 or more windows open to compare and get so frustrated that I just close them all. Not so much at the grocery store…I buy sale items, or store brand, and I know which store has the best price & quality for the items that carry their name.
Clothing—I’m a guy, if it fits, I buy it. LOL But I understand your point.

I lived in Russia in the early 1990′s. At the market they didn’t have specific cuts of meat. They chopped up the animal on a wooden stump with an ax and tossed the meat on the counter. You picked through, weighed the piece you wanted, paid and put it in your own plastic bag. Cheese? One or two big wheels and they cut it for you. We had no idea what kind it was. Yup, pretty primitive but easy to shop. Upon returning to the U.S., I went in the grocery store and just stared at all the pre-package meats and cheeses. Could not make a choice.

BTW, I’ve since returned to my city in Russia and things are nice and modern now.

I didn’t expect the mound of gifts when I planned my 4 year old’s simple birthday party (play at the park, make some homemade bubble blowers, have pizza and cake and we’re done!) and invited his whole preschool class. Fortunately, the trend in our area, for this age, at least, has been to NOT open presents at the party. We separated them into 3 different groups, and my child had several opportunities to open a smaller amount. I didn’t feel that we could wait and open one a week because we needed to write thank you notes, but now that they’ve been opened… several repeats have been returned, a few have been opened, and there’s a tub of toys hidden until he needs a treat. Then we’ll just pull out a birthday present!

On the shopping side, I limit myself to 1 or 2 stores for clothes and coupon and sale items from my LIST when I go for groceries!

“Too many choices” is not the problem. Overconsumption is the problem. When you go in and
feel you have to have them all, that’s when you cannot make a choice. I
go in the cereal aisle, where there’s probably over 100 varieties.
Except I don’t eat flakes. There’s 60 left. Except I don’t eat cereal
with nuts or dried fruit in them. There’s 30 left. No chocolate cereal.
Down to 20. No apple, no honey, no cookies and none made out of corn. 5
left. I like those 5 left. Is 5 too many? No. Did I have to try a lot of
cereal to know which 5 I like? If that’s what the “too many choice” was
arguing against, I would agree – but since it’s not, I say there’s
nothing wrong with discovering what could be your new favorite flavor of
something. (Unless, of course, they discontinue it, like Caramel
Cheerios!)

My mom, a person who never ever can make up her mind (due to a childhood
where she was told her decisions were bad & then her mind was made
up for her), has always been amazed that I can decide right away if I
love or hate or want or don’t want something. So decision-making doesn’t
paralyze me. But I still believe it’s not the products, and large
variety of them, but rather a desire to have something in particular.
Why else would you comparison shop for a lawnmower? If you needed one,
would you chose between the 2 offered (let’s say a manual or automatic)?
Or would you want to chose between electric, gas, manual, automatic,
adjustable height, straight or flex wheels, pull or button start, where
the gas is refilled, color and size?

No only is “too many choices” blaming everyone else, but indicating that
it’s wrongful that we live in a capitalistic society where companies
and individuals have the freedom to sell their products is absurd. Would
you go around and say, “Ok, General Mills and Kellogg’s, you are each
allowed to sell 3 different kinds of cereal. Post, you have to limit
yourself to 1. And Kashi, Barbara’s, Quaker, Store Brand and you 5 other
companies, you’re outta here!” Only those strong enough to survive (aka
ones consumers buy) will remain in a couple years (through clearances
and discontinuations), but how can you tell a company to not try putting
banana flavor with their cereal or adding cinnamon, just because you
feel overwhelmed by the desire to have it all?

Aldi shopping gives me fewer choices (one brand of flour, sugar, yogurt etc.) and good to excellent quality with low prices. Coupons and all that organizing gives me brain overload. Also Trader Joe’s has gourmet items, and mostly store brands, and low prices. Then there is Costco for the rest.

Aldi is the best. That and Trader Joe’s.

I try to shop at the same few stores. I check sales first and norrow my choices by the sale items, coupons I have the things I use all the time. I get in get what I need and get out. If I want “goodies” I try to make them. That way I have control over ingredients and costs, or I use a sale and coupon combo, it limits the choices.
Clothes wise, I go to one or two stores where i know the clothes fit well, I have coupons and they are having sales. No regrets and no over spending.
Big purchases I compare shop on line/consumers and then pick a store that is convenient and matches prices. done!

I remember the same situation with my children 50 years ago. I was always aware that my children were at their worst behavour at their birthday parties. Things have not improved. Recently, I attended the two year old party for my great grand-son and say the same thing happening – too many presents and too many people. Maybe a good guideline should be no more presents at one time than the child’s age. Other presents can be given later with an emphasis on who gave it, which is missing when there is an abundance of gifts.