Quote Originally Posted by tigerlily View Post
So when the time comes it will be a bit of an impulse, although a planned impulse?
That is a good point you bring up. There are different levels of impulse buying. Not all can be lumped in together. I should have addressed this in my OP to avoid any misunderstandings.

You might decide on a whim to go get a new dog one day, but you have been thinking about it for awhile, you have experience with dogs, and you are confident you are capable of providing that animal a good life. This would bring up a logical question; if you have thought about this in depth, and over a peroid of time, is it really an impulse anymore? Going out and buying a dog ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY may be spontaneous, but the idea of wanting another dog has been instilled in your mind for quite some time. Going out and buying another BP on a whim when you have a collection of many is impulsive, but not the type of behavior I was critisizing. Going out and buying a new fish to add to a healthy and well established aquarium could be an impulse, but again, not the type I was meaning to bring up here.

The type of behavior I disagree with is when someone gets the idea in their head that they want a certain pet, and act on that desire immediately, without any of the required planning and research. Situations where the person buys first and asks questions later, almost as an afterthought. "Oh by the way, what does this animal eat?" as they're walking out of the store. These are the type that must be avoided. I would suggest, as a rule of thumb, if someone becomes interested in a certain pet they hold back the urge to buy immediately, research as much as they can for no less than a week, and then decide if the pet is right for them.

It can be summed up by saying EDUCATED impulse buys can be alright at times. UNEDUCATED impulse buys are the type that get my blood boiling.