Lead us not into temptation? Fat chance with marketing gurus making millions doing exactly that; creating clever mind tricks that emotionally bind us shoppers to their products to make us buy them. Reclaim your retailer's rights, stop lining the pockets of others with products you don't need, and repent of those dangerous consumer sins!

Ever been shopping for one thing and ended up with more bags than Victoria Beckham after a Gucci shopathon? You're not alone. A survey by Barclaycard found that 85 per cent of women buy goods on a 'whim'. The trouble is, you're not the only brains behind your spending sprees. From the colour of the carpet to product packaging, retailers, lenders and marketers target every single one of your senses to get you reaching for your wallet. Isn't it time you fine-tuned your retail radar to spot the sins that retailers target to foil your shopping motivations?

SIN: Fake impulses
Retail Anthropologists analyse the behaviour of shoppers against everything, from the positioning of a shopping basket to the effects of brushing bums in a store. Through their findings, these 'helpful' souls advise retailers on consumer psychology, and how to maximise sales by creating specific stimuli, which will trigger a want in you (the consumer) that can only be satisfied by acquiring the product itself.

Filtering the smell of fresh baking into a street, for example, causes scores of shoppers to stop and buy a bun, even when they're not hungry. Larger retailers take this concept further. Products are arranged to inspire: a skirt positioned alongside a shirt and a jacket prompts us to buy more because we visualise it as part of an outfit, rather than a distinctly individual item.

REPENT: Don't fall for impulse buying tactics. Pre-plan your shopping trips by making, and sticking to a list, or go with someone who won't encourage whimsical buys. If you're still tempted, just ask yourself who is really going to profit: you or the vendor?

SIN: Copycat syndrome
With so many celebrity spreads and glossy ads, it's hardly surprising that we crave new products. But behind this want, lies something deeper; a struggle to find a personal identity we're happy with. Ask yourself how many fashion items you have craved before you've even tried them on?

Spending is, in part, a psychological attempt to help us gain a sense of belonging. Research suggests that when we buy consumer goods, we not only consume the product, but also the symbolic qualities associated with it. In these instances, the purchases become a means for self-expression. In reality, however, if we buy into celebrity endorsed brands we're falling into advertisers' hands.

REPENT: Think positively about yourself. Repeat the following mantra; 'I am whole, I am complete, material goods won't change me'. When you want to treat yourself, focus on what looks good on you. By imitating another's style, you will only end up buying something that will not only not suit you, but will also depress you. Be your own style icon!

SIN: Guilt spending and misplaced generosity
Have you ever bought a bunch of flowers by way of an apology, or offered to pay for lunch just so that you seem generous? We all spend our cash to buy our way into people's good books, but does it really work? Judging by the billions of pounds we spend on gifts each year, we must think it does; in reality though, gestures of grandeur aren't long-term answers to underlying problems.

REPENT: Don't use money as your scapegoat. Be confident in your convictions and genuine in what you say. Money can't buy favour - honesty and integrity can, your friends and colleagues will respect you far more for the latter than the former.

SIN: Cards over cash
Offers of extra free credit, cheap loans and store cards fly through your door at such a rate of knots they could push the HMS Belfast straight out into the Atlantic. Tempting as these offers seem, they're designed for one reason only: to make us spend what we don't have.

Credit facilities create a false sense of security: because we can't visualise the money, we don't feel bad about spending it, so they remove your emotion to money.

REPENT: Only take cash out when you go shopping - it's far harder to part with real money than sign your name on a printed receipt. Empower yourself by calling your bank to cancel any increased credit - you'll feel so much better when you hear how they try to persuade you otherwise.

SIN: Because we can
We shop for pleasure because we can. And we don't do it alone: we co-ordinate social calendars with friends and family and make a whole day of it. By shopping as a team, we're more susceptible to impulse buying and being persuaded to treat ourselves to products we don't need. By encouraging another to spend frivolously, we don't feel so guilty about doing it ourselves. Retailers are wise to this and target many displays specifically at social shoppers; coffee shops in department stores are a perfect example.

REPENT: For ultimate shopping satisfaction, shop alone, or with one trusted frugal friend, and return home at the point when you have your planned purchases. If you must go as a group, split up and arrange to meet in an hour or two when you have what you need. You will be more likely to stick to your list, without getting distracted!

SIN: Escaping problems
If your love life has taken a turn for the worse or you're in the midst of a conflict at work or at home, then you'll probably be looking for a welcome distraction and something you think will make you feel better.

A new hairdo, a manicure, or a whole new outfit may seem like the answer, but will the high it brings you make your problems seem less important? No. Research by Barclaycard shows that once we've finished shopping, our mood levels can drop by 27 per cent, and that many women who buy on impulse, later regret it.

REPENT: Endless splurges aren't even a good short-term answer to forgetting your problems - in fact they make them worse. If you really need relief, try pampering yourself at home: it can be just as rewarding, and what you really need is some 'me' time. Then deal with your issues head on - you'll respect yourself more if you do, and your finances won't have to suffer.

SIN: Holidays
They don't call it the Tourist Trade for nothing. It's a multimillion-dollar industry and we all get sucked in. Those cheap castanets and one-off diamond anklets might make the perfect holiday memorabilia? but then, so do the memories of the nice restaurants, the posh hotels and the cab rides home. As our bank balances dwindle, the profits of the tourist traders boom.

REPENT: Retailers use the same marketing tricks the world over. Just because you're on holiday doesn't mean you should drop your radar for retail deviancy! Make sure you are fully aware of exchange rates before you go, then set yourself a daily budget based on this.

Overall, don't give in to temptation by clogging up your credit card with impulse buys; you're only lining someone else's pockets with the interest you'll have to pay back.

*Resources

• Source: Bank of England
• National Consumer Council
• Source: Helga Dittmar, Psychologist from Sussex University

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