Bought by Chance? Understand Why!

ABSTRACT This research has the aim of identifying previous variants to impulsivity at the time of buying and as well as to verify the relationship between the tendency to buy things by impulse and human values. To achieve this goal a survey was carried out through an orkut profile account, where the students were invited to take part in a survey answering to an on line questionnaire available. Five instruments were applied: 1) Scale of shopping activity; 2) scale of circulation in the stores 3) Scale of Basic Human Values; 4) Social-Demographic Questionnaire; and, 5) Questionnaire about consumption habits. 154 students have taken part in this survey. (77 men and 77 women) currently registered at Universidade Federal da Paraíba, between 18 to 25 years of age (average=21; DP=2). We have calculated the distribution of the social demographic frequencies and the spending habits amongst the participants; the Alfa of Cronbach to the facts of the scales; and the analyze multiple linear regression to each block of questions as dependent variant (DV) having the impulsivity as the independent variant (IV); The variants which have showed predicted power to impulse shopping were the values of “Pleasure” and “Personal Stability”, the value System “Existence”, the circulation in the stores, the frequent usage of credit cards on shoppings, the hobby of going to shopping mall, and social-demographic variant such as sex, age and family’s wage.