HIGH STREET HEALTH

RETAIL THERAPY

After almost four months, Britain’s high street is open for action again and we’re all getting used to the “new normal”: queues, hand sanitisers and social distancing. But while the way we shop has changed, our tendency to impulse buy remains the same – and that can have an impact on our mental health, says consumer psychologist Kate Nightingale.

Working with Swedish bank and payment service Klarna on its KlarnaSense campaign to promote more mindful shopping, encouraging us to ask three simple questions before a purchase: do I love it, will I use it and is it worth it? The campaign also identifies five types of impulse shoppers – such as Rewarders, who hit the stores to improve their mood, and Deal Hunters, for whom getting a bargain is more important than the actual product.