Buying In Bulk Makes You Consume Stuff Faster? Who Knew?!?

A few years ago during COVID, we saw buying in bulk on steroids, especially with toilet paper. But in general, does buying in bulk, or mass quanties, really pan out the way some business experts say it will?

The prevaling theory is, buying in bulk saves money (According to Costco!)

  Buying in Bulk Can Actually Make you Use More

At least in our household, over the years, we used to ‘ration’ out the TP in the bathrooms. No, we didn’t give our kids 20 squares, but we didn’t load the bottom drawer with 17 rolls either.  We noticed, especially with our three older daughters, the more TP, the faster it seemed to go.

  Fast Forward 20 Years, The Same for Food?

When you have 1 or two moderately sized packages of cookies, say, the medium Oreos as opposed to the jumbo, you do find yourself slowing down on the consumption–because you don’t want to run out too fast.

But consider this:  If there’s “3 thousand” types of cookies, you’re going to gorge them, right? The same with the pizza snacks, and chicken wings…and….

 Can Bulk Buying Encourage Overuse?

Over the years, new studies have shown that while money can be saved buying bulk, it actually can have a  reverse effect.  Investopedia reports people in rural areas benefit from bulk buying, because they can’t or don’t want to driver 21 miles to the store. But they also point out some Catch-22 problems.

For many of us, stocking the freezer to the brim can waste food that’s forgotten in the bottom. Same for the fridge. How many of you have had vegetables or yogurt that went bad before you cold eat it?

Investopedia reports:

• “Buying in bulk can encourage overconsumption of certain products, particularly high-calorie foods, which may negatively impact both the health of household members and long-term financial savings.”

That’s the part I am referring to, besides the forgotten, wasted food, psychologically we feel like we can ramp up the consumption, because we have more of it. Some behavioral studies have confirmed this.

Do you agree? Monitor your own spending and consumption habits for a month, and then look at what happens.