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Don’t go to the mall with friends. Go alone, and make it a business trip.

Know exactly what you want before you go to the store, buy it, and leave the premises immediately.

Use a 30-day list. If you decide you really want to buy something, put it on a list. Now tell yourself you cannot buy that item for 30 days. When the 30 days have passed, if you still want the item, go to the store and buy it. This waiting period can help you determine whether or not you really want or need the item.

Stop thinking of the mall as an entertainment venue. The problem with figuring the mall as an entertainment venue is that the place is shot through with the ideology of materialism. Everything there is for sale. Store owners will do almost anything to get you to buy. And advertising is everywhere. If you define yourself as a “mall shopper,” pretty soon you will feel like you haven’t done your duty unless you leave the place with a bag full of stuff you don’t need. That’s when they have you!