So Many Decisions, So Little Time—

Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo — The Challenge Of Choice

By Nancy K. Crevier

Shopping has become akin to the Quest for the Holy Grail. The perfect selection that appears to be the ideal item sought out from dozens of choices that meet subconscious criteria is pursued in every aisle of every store every hour of the day.  There is no such thing as a “quick trip to the store.”

Milk can be organic, natural, lactose-free, skim, one percent, two percent, whole, reduced fat, low fat, chocolate, fruit-flavored, or calcium-enriched. Is it necessary to spend the extra money on a name brand of milk or is the store brand equally acceptable? Is the milk drinker under 4 years of age or over 60? The dairy needs of a young child differ from the needs of a person approaching retirement.

A typical supermarket carries at least half a dozen brands of toilet paper with several options for each brand. Some are single-ply tissues, some are two-ply tissues. Single, double, or triple rolls are available to fit every storage space. Quilted tissues, rippled, antibacterial wipes or toilet papers with soothing aloe offer still more choices for what should be a thought-free purchase.

Narrowing the deodorant options between “for men,” “for women,” and “for teenagers” is not so difficult. But deodorant is not just deodorant anymore. Is it an antiperspirant, a deodorant, or an antiperspirant deodorant? Spray, pump, roll-on, or stick deodorant? Which will it be? What brand, what scent, what strength? Twenty-one brands of deodorants and antiperspirants, each with at least four permutations, line the shelves of a local supermarket. Choose the wrong one, and it is back to the store for another stab at it.

Air fresheners once came in an aerosol bottle of one medicinal scent that purportedly was superior to whatever odor was at fault. Select today from sprays, pellets, candles, oils, plug-ins, stick-ons, fan propelled, or a dozen other ways to dispense an air neutralizer into the environment to not only dispel a nasty scent, but also soothe the emotions through aromatherapy.

Choices abound. But is that a good thing?

Do consumers need two dozen variations within 15 brands of toothpaste, 36 brands of coffee, 15 brands of canned dog food, 18 brands of bottled water, and dozens of flavors of ice cream when grocery shopping? Is it a boon or a bane when clothing manufacturers offer jeans that are straight leg, wide leg, below the waist, at the waist, expandable waist, low cut, boot cut, boy cut, cropped and/or acid-washed, stone-washed, or over-dyed to shoppers?  Do more choices provide a sense of satisfaction or leave consumers in a quandary?

Choice is meant to improve the quality of life and to provide individuals with a sense of empowerment. But in The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, author and professor of social theory and social action at Swarthmore College Barry Schwartz challenges the idea that the great amount of choice offered equates to a greater sense of happiness. He contends that an overload of choice — more choice, that is, not just some choice — results in stress, anxiety, and even depression.

 “If it were up to us to choose whether or not to have choice, we would opt for choice almost every time,” he writes. “But it is the cumulative effect of these choices that I think is causing substantial distress…. with the consequence that we are left feeling barely able to manage. ”

Grocery shopping is just a very small aspect of the choices people make every day. From medical plans to colleges to telephone services, selection is necessary. There is much time and effort on the part of manufacturers to provide choices and much time and effort on the parts of consumers to winnow out the chaff from the wheat.

How Consumers Decide

At the General Store on Main Street, Bob Merola and Kevin Roche recently considered the question of consumer choice and how they arrive at the decisions they make day to day. As Prof Schwartz suggests, both men agree that having choices is preferable to a lack of options, within reason.

“There certainly is information overload, but not always enough good information to make a decision,” said Mr Merola. “I wouldn’t miss it if there were less [options], but I do like having choices.”

Mr Roche agreed. “More choices are beneficial, but you have to do your homework. To make choices, you need to reach a certain level of maturity,” he said. Understanding the core things about which to worry alleviates some of the stress of making decisions, he said. “Tune out what’s not relevant to your life.”

The process of making a choice differs from person to person. How to decide may be based on how much of an impact the decision will have upon a person’s life. Choices that affect a person greatly, such as what kind of mortgage to buy, which car to purchase, whether to take a new job or move to another part of the country need to be intelligent, informed decisions, said Mr Merola and Mr Roche.

The selection of everyday items should not be anxiety producing, said Mr Roche. “When on some level the choices are all equal, I use price as a choice factor,” he said.

Mr Merola does not necessarily let all of the new, improved options for purchases such as toothpaste or soda sway him. “I stick with the known. I might try a more tangible choice, like a new flavor of something.” Brand loyalty also comes into play when making a decision, said Mr Merola, and helps to narrow the selection.

“There would be a lot less anxiety [about choices] if people felt they were getting the truth from advertising,” suggested Mr Roche.

Another General Store customer, Leroy Richards, agreed that advertising adds to the confusion people may feel when confronted with too many choices.

“Advertising is telling you how to do everything and gets into our personal life,” he said. “You need to know your own likes. Everyone is an individual.”

When faced with an array of choices in the supermarket or drugstore, marketing, design, and price are what Mr Richards takes into account.

Because there are so many people with so many tastes and values, some choice is a good thing, he said. But overall, he thought, there are too many choices for items of little importance. “People make a big thing out of nothing,” he said.

Newtown resident Tahir Ahmed, pondering the DVD selections at C.H. Booth Library this past week  had an opinion about how best to circumnavigate what he believes are too many choices in our society. “Don’t make it confused and complicated. The first choice is the best choice,” he said. Employed in the fashion industry, Mr Ahmed said marketing is a definite influence upon how he chooses his purchases. “I get what catches my eye.”

Informed Decisions

“We probably have too many choices about too many things,” said Newtown resident Janice Phelan. She tries to zero in on what is familiar and what has worked for her in the past when cruising the aisles at the supermarket. “I might buy three of four new items, but I tend to stick to routine purchases.” What is aggravating about the plethora of choices, particularly when clothes shopping, said Ms Phelan, is the waste of time. “You used to be able to go to a small store and choose from a few styles. Now there are hundreds of choices in dozens of stores. It takes too long. Too many choices are a hindrance.”

Luckily, she said, she is a good decisionmaker, especially when it comes to making big decisions. “I look at Consumer Reports and I get others’ opinions. For instance, the last time I bought a house, I had a list of what I wanted in a house. I even had a list on the refrigerator that I added to or subtracted from whenever I thought of something else important to me.” By eliminating what does not fit her criteria, Ms Phelan is able to trim her options and focus on the important points of a choice, she said. So far as Prof Schwartz’s theory that too many choices create anxiety and depression, Ms Phelan said she could see that being true for some of the population, but she takes a philosophical view to decisionmaking. “If I make a choice and it doesn’t work out, that’s okay. I just try to do it differently the next time. I learn from it.”

Price and perceived quality of a product affect what people buy, is Ken Moliver’s opinion. He is amazed by the vast selection the average shopper faces for simple purchases. For this Newtowner, price, experience, and personality play a part in choosing from an array of goods. “Once you’ve bought something, you know what you like. Things don’t change that much,” he said. “Experience counts for a lot. People find something and if it is not significantly better, they will go back to what they were using. There should be a real difference between choices.” This is not to say that he is opposed to having choices, he said. But he wondered if it is necessary for every manufacturer to have multiple versions of the same item.

For big-ticket items, Mr Moliver follows a similar strategy to that of Ms Phelan. “It’s important to set up the criteria for what you want and to do a lot of research.” Even research, he admitted, can become a source of overload, though. “There is so much out there and the Internet is a good resource, but what can you trust?” he asked.

“I don’t want to walk into a store and have just two choices,” he said, “but sometimes you’re glad you’re limited in your choices. People are actually happier with fewer [options], but we think we’re happier with more.”

Setting goals and gathering quality information in order to evaluate choices, as well as relying upon the opinions of those we trust, are skills people use to make decisions, says Prof Schwartz. But the value people place upon the decisions they make equates with the level of happiness or misery that results from that decision, he asserts in The Paradox Of Choice.

“Choice can be a reflection of how people see themselves,” observed Mr Moliver, “or of how they want others to see them. If you have a high visibility job, the car you drive or the house you choose to live in is affected by that, even if you are not really comfortable with that choice.” It is possible, he thought, that the visibility of a particular choice and a certain lifestyle forces people into certain types of choices. “Choices reflect on your life,” he said.

 How, in a world where good, better, and best assert themselves daily, can time wasted on insignificant decisions be recaptured and satisfaction without regret become the new mantra?

People who can only be happy with the perfect choice may find themselves in a constant state of indecision, faced with more and more options as every angle of a choice is examined. To choose to be satisfied with “good enough,” says Prof Schwartz, is one choice that may lead to contentment.

Prof Schwartz suggests that reflecting upon what he calls, “second-order decisions,” those decisions about when to deliberate and when to follow self-imposed, predetermined rules, can eliminate many of the daily complications imposed by choices that seem too vast to choose from. “We will find ourselves with time, energy, and attention for the decisions we have chosen to retain,” he says. “Choice within constraints, freedom within limits, is what enables the little fish to imagine a host of marvelous possibilities.”