Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/418554
Youknowwhat I love? Walking into my supermar- ket the day after Thanksgiving and hearing the best Christmas music ever. Yeah. And if I wasn't in the mood to bake Christmas cookies before I got there, just hearing that lovely music changes ev- erything. Right there, that proves I am a quint- essential, typical con- sumer. That retailer's got my number. While I don't want to stop loving music (I swoon to the Beach Boys during the sum- mer months because this store has an uncanny way of knowing what I like), what I have changed is the way I hear it while loading up on groceries. They're doing this on purpose, by design be- cause retailers have irre- futable evidence that the right music can result in increased sales of tar- geted products. It's like tasty bait on the end of a sharp hook. Playing the right mu- sic isn't all that retailers do to manipulate us into dropping more money than we'd ever intended to spend before walking in their store. Scents. Think you're the only one who de- tected that amazingly subtle yet delicious scent as you strolled in? Rich- ard Axel and Linda Buck won a Nobel Prize for their work in understand- ing our olfactory system, which allows us to iden- tify and categorize 10,000 scents, all of which can trigger powerful nostal- gia-laced memories. No wonder a specific fragrance reminds you of your grandmother or the smell of pine trees floods your mind with child- hood camp experiences. Scents can subconsciously affect the way we spend. Theaters, bakeries and countless other retailers know this and capitalize on it big time. Impulse. Many retail- ers create "rest areas" where they know you will be prompted to stop and just look around. It might be at the checkout or in an area that just screams "cozy place to stop and look around!" Once they have it nailed, they load up the area with im- pulse buys — small thing, lovely things they know you won't resist. Mostly they'll put them at eye level to aid you in your sweet moment of rest. Sneaky tricks. We've come to expect that a sale comes with a sign. Most of the time it is a red sign with big black numbers and smaller words that don't really matter. We've seen it so much, now we are like Pavlov's dogs. We react without thinking about it. And what if the word "Sale!" is re- placed by "Hot!" or "Bargain!"? We don't notice. We grab and go be- cause it's gotta' be a great bar- gain. Retailers capitalize on what they've learned from Dr. Pavlov. Numbers. This one is so crazy, I still have trou- ble wrapping my head around it. Why is it that humans stop short and think about it if the price ends in .00, while think- ing that if it ends in .99 or .95 that somehow that is a good price? Why, oh, why? I don't know, but the truth is that is does. It's called "left-digit ef- fect." Retailers count on the "just below price" all the time because they know we'll fall for it. All the time. Beat 'em. The best way to win when we go up against retailers—which of course we do every day—is to be aware. Fig- ure it out. Stop being a mindless consumer! Go in with a plan, a list, cash and a strong mind. Make a note of the sounds and smells. Look at the pric- ing structure. Do a men- tal, "Ah-ha! I know why you're doing that!" Then take control of yourself. Don't give in to those silly ploys. And when you hear the lovely tones of "White Christmas," take a look at your shopping list. See right there? You wrote it down be- cause Mary told you that the holiday sea- son is the time to load up on loss leaders in the baking aisle. Find that one gigantic display area where all the bak- ing supplies are on sale (for real, not some fake kind of tricky sign) and load up. Enjoy the season, but keep your wits about you and don't fall for all of the Christmas gifts (have you noticed how super- markets turn into depart- ment stores about Dec. 1?) and other impulse stuff they've loaded in, believ- ing that you are weak and mindless. And all of the lovely fragrances? Enjoy them, knowingly. Resist the im- pulse displays, get what you need and then get out of there! That's the way to nib- ble at the bait with- out getting hooked and reeled in. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Yourconsumer behavior is keeping you broke Mary Hunt PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thank you! The Townley family, along with fellow musi- cians Abdiel Lopez and Eddie Pacheco, will join talents in a Townley and Friends Disaster Relief Benefit Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday for the country of India. Members of the Town- ley family will include Don, Lisa, with sons Levi, Nathan, and Samuel. The concert will be at First Church of God, 1005 S. Jackson St. in Red Bluff. Since childhood, for Lisa Townley, Christian ministry has always been coupled with music. At age 5, she began singing with her parents John and Milly Flanagan at the Good News Rescue Mis- sion in Redding. Ministry to the poor and needy was a part of life in her family. In 1990, Lisa married local musician and piano tuner Don Townley, then of Corning. Today, they have six boys, to whom they have passed on a love for the Lord Jesus Christ, and for music. The Townley fam- ily has played at many lo- cal events, including the CareNet Crisis Pregnancy Center's Walk For Life and the Tehama County Pastor Appreciation Dinner. They have opened for several lo- cal southern gospel mu- sic concerts including the Nelon Family Singers and Dixie Melody Boys. Lisa and Don continue to preach and sing each month at the Redding res- cue mission. They are wor- ship leaders at the Spirit of Life Church in Los Molinos. Sons Levi and Nathan are members of The Gathering Band, as well as the wor- ship band at Community Baptist Church. Abdiel Lopez and Eddie Pacheco are music minis- ters at Iglesia Nueva Vida of Red Bluff. Brenda and Steve Hines, Lisa's sister and her hus- band, were missionaries to Russia with Ripe For Har- vest (RFH) for 12 years. Lisa traveled to Russia in 2001 to participate in a missionary outreach. In 2008 the Hines fam- ily was commissioned by RFH to India, where they have served as missionaries for the past six years. They are based in Visakhapat- nam (Vizag), India, a port city with almost 3 million people. Lisa and her youngest son, 10-year-old Samuel, will be traveling to India on Dec. 30. Lisa has been invited to be the featured speaker at several outreach events, including children's activities, medical camps, widow outreaches and wa- ter well dedications that have been scheduled for her two-week stay in January. RFH has resident facil- ities that have been estab- lished to help the poor. The Kids Home trains young people with vocational skills to benefit their fam- ilies and there are services that meet the specific needs of widows. RFH assists indigenous Christian churches by drill- ing water wells on their properties. The water is made available to all peo- ple regardless of their reli- gious beliefs. These Jesus Wells, as they are referred to by people in the region, provide a source of fresh, clean water for the people of India. Samuel Townley says this is the most important reason to raise money for India. He has seen pho- tos of long lines of people waiting for clean water to drink. This is especially close to Samuel's heart these days. The drop in ground water levels in the Antelope area, has resulted the Townley household be- ing without running water for several months. They were so grateful for their neighbors who were so gen- erous to share their water. In October, the needs of Vizag grew significantly. Cyclone Hudhud, hit the area with wind speeds of 128 mph on the ground causing much devastation. Many people are now with- out windows, roofs, water and even homes. RFH is as- sisting with clean up opera- tions and needed supplies. Lisa is now raising money to take to India for ongoing projects of RFH. "We are going to In- dia and we will take 100 percent of money that is raised," Lisa said. Her vision is to take a generous amount of money to help the very poor and needy Indians. At the concert Lisa will be sharing photos of con- ditions in India and de- tails about her mission trip. Tax deductible dona- tions to Ripe For Harvest will be accepted and Town- ley and Friends CDs will be sold. The public will have opportunity to enjoy tradi- tional Indian desserts. Donations for Lisa Town- ley's India trip can be made online at www.youcaring. com and enter the code 245198. She can be reached at 736-8774. CONCERT ShowtobenefitdisasterreliefinIndia COURTESYPHOTO Townley and Friends Disaster Relief Benefit Concert is scheduled for Saturday to benefit the country of India. Wednesday REDBLUFF Al-Anon: noon to 1p.m., Presbyterian Church, Jef- ferson and Hickory Alcohol, Anger and Abuse Group: call for group time and location, 528-0226 Community Dance: 7-10 p.m., Westside Grange, 20794Walnut St. Living Well with Diabetes: 1-5p.m., Columba Educa- tion, 529-8026 Lupus/Fibromyalgia Sup- port Group: 6-8p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hos- pital, Columba room, Jackie, 529-3029 Marine Corps League: 6:30p.m., Red Bluff Veter- ans Memorial Hall, corner of Oak and Jackson streets., Roy Fansler 384-2134 Mental Health Board: noon, Antelope Creek Room, 1850Walnut St., Bldg. G Nurturing Parenting Dads Program: 10a.m. to noon, 1860Walnut St. #D, Shasta Room, call Keith at 527- 8491, ext. 3012 Nurturing Skills for Teen Parents: 9-10a.m., 1900 Walnut St., 527-8491, ext. 3012 Over-eaters Anonymous: 6:30-7:30p.m., St. Eliza- beth Community Hospital, Coyne Center, 528-8937 PAL Martial Arts Wom- en's Self Defense: 5:30- 6:30p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C, 840-0345 Penny Bingo: 9:30a.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Red Bluff Derby Girls open tryouts and prac- tice: 6:30p.m., Tyler Jelly building, Tehama District Fairground Red Bluff Emblem club dinner: 5:30p.m., Elks Lodge Red Bluff Joint Union High School Board: 5:30 p.m., 1525 Douglas St. Red Bluff Kiwanis: noon, Elks Lodge Team Kid: 5:30p.m., First Southern Baptist Church, 585Kimball Road, 527- 5083 TeenScreen Mental Health appointments: 10 a.m. to 2p.m., free by ap- pointment only, Youth Em- powerment Services, 1900 Walnut St., 527-8491, Ext. 3012 Tehama County Board of Education: 5p.m., District Office, 1135Lincoln St. Tehama County Child Abuse Prevention coordi- nating council: 8:30a.m., Family Resource Center, 220Sycamore St. Tehama County Fireworks Committee: 6p.m., Lariat Bowl Tehama County Library story time: 9:30a.m., 645 Madison St. 527-0604. CALENDAR 530.529.HUSH 855 Walnut Street, Suite 3 www.HushBeautyLounge.com *25% off products & Gifts *Make-up Demos eyelash application for your holiday event *Raffle HOLIDAYEVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT HOLIDAY EVENT All Day Nov. 20th & Dec. 4th *Bring a friend buy 1 eyebrow wax & get 1 FREE *Complimentary Eye Lift Treatment! 2Bud'sBBQ 22825AntelopeBlvd.RedBluff M-F11am-6pm Sat. 11am-3pm Closed Sunday (530) 528-0799 BBQ PORK★ BEEF ★ CHICKEN We'vebeenherefor 11 years. Where have you been?? GoldExchange The 3 rd Annual Christmas for A Cause Nov. 15 th -Dec. 13 th 423WalnutSt.,RedBluff 528-8000 www.ChristmasForACause TehamaCounty.com *ForDetailsand *Wish list* BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION Visit 100JacksonStreet, Red Bluff (530) 529-1220 NEW Membership Specials CallorComeIn for details 365S.MAINST,REDBLUFF 527-2720 • www.lariatbowl.com Lariat Bowl & Miniature Golf Join us for FUN LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, November 19, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5