Bad shopper: Are you one? Credit: andrewarchy/Flickr

A recent study by SteelHouse/Synovate showed only a third of Americans seek out coupons and not even half read reviews before they buy. Yowza! We need to convert these shoppers to make savvy spending decisions. So what kind of shopper are you?

44%     I read product reviews before I buy.

39%     I always shop with a purpose – I look online only when I’m searching for something in particular.

32%     I check out coupon sites to get

the best price.

30%     I browse products regularly, even when I have no intention of buying.

28%     I buy only when there’s a discount.

27%     I buy only when there’s an offer for free shipping.

20%     I buy premium brand name products.

18%     I often start the checkout process but don’t end up purchasing.

12%     I never buy on my first visit to a website, even if a discount is offered.

11%     I never shop online.

Plus, gender makes a difference when shopping. (Men say they are better drivers, women say they are better shoppers.) More results of the survey:

• 33% of women say they only buy when there’s a discount or free shipping. Men, on the other hand, look for those savings less than 25% of the time.
• Women are more fond of coupon sites. 37% of women look for coupons, compared with 26% of men).
• Big earners (who take home $75,000+) require discounts and free shipping more than people who make less money. 32% of big earners buy only when there’s a discount compared with 28% overall.
• Big earners are buy buy premium brand names more often: 29% of the time compared with 15% of those who earn under $25,000.

SteelHouse is an eCommerce tech company based in LA. Synovate is a market researcher out of Chicago. 1,000 Americans were polled to create this study.

My mattress purchase leaves me with $157 for the month. Unless…I dip into savings to cover the mattress. Here’s how my spending looks so far.

Week 1 spending – $470 (including a pricey snowboarding trip)

Week 2 spending – $40 (just groceries)

Emergency mattress spending – $533

That adds up to $1,043. My target was to spend $1,200 this month.

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UPDATE: For some reason the poll is not working. We made some tech updates recently on BargainBabe.com so I’m checking to see if those affected the polling features. Hang tight!

The coupons I purchased from TheCouponMaster.com arrived yesterday in the mail, sorted neatly with a receipt for $3.95 ($3.01 worth of coupons plus a $.94 shipping fee). But now that I’m on a spending moratorium I’m not sure if I can use them. In fact, I’m pretty sure I cannot use them.

The problem is 22 of 31 coupons I purchased expire in July. $*%&#!

My spending moratorium puts the kabash on spending money on anything but groceries, basics like rent and utilities, and business expenses.

Three of the coupons are for a legitimate grocery item (ice cream), but the others are all for toiletries, which I often buy at the grocery store on sale but they are not truly grocery items.

My plan – before the moratorium – was to use the coupons at Target, which has really good prices on toiletries. Now I’m stuck between a rock and this friggin’ moratorium, which, until now, I have had no trouble observing!

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The hirings are significant in lieu of our depressing unemployment rate, which economists predict will rise to 9.2 percent after the economy lost  520,000 jobs last month. That’s a 25-year high!

I’m very conflicted about Wal-Mart. I don’t like to feature their deals on BargainBabe.com because of their checkered past. But I know for many people shopping at Wal-Mart is a way to make ends meet. I “vote” with my dollars and let others do the same. To each their own, right?

Because of the recession, however, I’m wondering if people are applying for and taking jobs they wouldn’t otherwise consider.

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UPDATE: Target is now tied for the No. 1 spot. Because both TJ’s and Target were so popular and because some readers may not have a TJ’s near them, the winners will get to chose if they want a gift card to TJ’s or Target. I think this is the fairest way of handling the situation.

Here is how the subscriber drive works:

1. The drive begins today, May 26, 2009 and ends June 9, 2009.

2. One existing reader who already receives my weekday OR weekly emails will win a $25 gift card to Trader Joe’s. If you already receive my emails, you are automatically entered to win. You do not need to do anything to be eligible. You do not need to email me to double check.

3. One new reader who signs up between May 26 and June 9 to receive my free emails will receive a $25 gift card to Trader Joe’s.

4. Winners will be chosen at random on June 10. I will email those readers to make sure the email address is valid. Readers will have 48 hours to respond. If readers do not respond, alternates will be notified.

5. Winners will be announced on the blog. Gift cards will be mailed to the winners.

Any questions? Leave a comment.

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Can you think of a better pitch for Bargainbabe.com? Your input makes this site better.

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If you missed this post, check out my guide to asking for a discount, aka haggling!