Reader question:

In the following story – Tom Gregory just spent more than $100,000 on two used cowboy shirts. And he couldn't be happier. The shirts are the ones worn by the ill-fated lovers, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, in Oscar front-runner "Brokeback Mountain."… "There is no buyer's remorse," he said, characterizing the purchase as "the most fun thing I ever bought." (Activist pays $100,000 for 'Brokeback' shirts, AP) – what does "buyer's remorse" mean?

My comments:

Tom Gregory is a gay activist. He bought two shirts worn by actors in the movie Brokeback Mountain for $100,000 and he has "no buyer's remorse". That means he doesn't regret it.

"Buyer's remorse" is a commonly used phrase to describe the common feeling of regret by buyers over a recent purchase, you know, the feelings of doubt whether they've made the right choice of product, whether they couldn't bought it at a lower price, whether they need the product at all, or if they do need it, whether they should have waited for a newer model to come out, whether they should have bought another brand of jeans instead of Levi's, whether the other handbag they also looked at would have made them look smarter on the street, whether they should have bought a German camera instead of one made in Japan, etc, etc, so on and so forth.

In some advertisements on TV, we hear things like: "if you are unsatisfied with it in any way, you may return the product within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked." In that case, "the 30 days" is called a "buyer's remorse period", meaning during that period of time, you as the buyer are allowed to change your mind and return the product. They will give your money back right away, without fuss.

That'd be nice, you say to yourself. But I'm just trying to explain "buye's remorse" the term, don't be thinking "buyer's remorse period" the next time you step into a supermarket. No, don't count on it. Unconditional "buyer's remorse period" guarantees are extremely rare. Don't count on this to cure your own buyer's remorse, if you have it. Better work on the remorse itself, the psychology behind it, that is. Or don't work on it at all – sooner or later, often sooner rather than later, it'll pass.

Anyways, here are a few media examples to get you further acquainted with "buyer's remorse", which can be used to describe any decision (I mean, not just shopping decisions), which you may regret or doubt later.

1. Avoid Buyer's Remorse

Originally coined to refer to the purchase of a new home, the expression "buyer's remorse" is now commonly used in reference to many different goods and services. It's normal to consider important decisions carefully, and it is likewise normal to wonder afterward if you've made the right decision. (Askmen.com, November 17, 2007)

2. "Why is the press going so easy on Barack Obama?" asks a prominent Democratic Party strategist, echoing a criticism frequently made by the Clinton campaign. It's a fair question, and now that Obama appears to be the front-runner in terms of his delegate count, he deserves a closer look, especially from people like me who have written positively about him. The reason to look closely now, quite simply, is to avoid buyer's remorse later.…

(Obama's oratory doesn't deliver goods on policy, sptimes.come, February 17, 2008)

3. BUYER'S REMORSE

Britney Spears had her breasts enlarged as a teenager, but later decided she was a big boob to do it and went back under the knife, the new issue of Rolling Stone reveals. The pathetic pop tart, now locked up in a padded cell, “regretted the implants, particularly because her chest was still growing,” the magazine reports. “And when her natural breasts became larger, she had the implants removed.” (nypost.com, February 6, 2008)

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.