Choice, or too much choice

Choice is a good thing... right! It is an embedded assumption that to maximise freedom and welfare we should maximise choice, in other words the more choice there is, the better it is. How could anyone not like choice! Take the choices available in finding a holiday, choosing a new car, deciding where to live, or which breakfast cereal is best, who to pay for your electricity and so on. The list is endless, just take a minute to think how many choices you had to make today, can you imagine life without choice. However, the "choosing" bit is not always that great and often a complete waste of time and complication to our busy lives. I can think of a few occasions where choosing something was pleasant, but on the whole I would have done almost anything else, e.g. when I went out to buy a mobile phone. Firstly, I had the choice of mobile phone hand sets from a seemingly endless range, all with features, designs, sizes and restrictions to consider. Then I had to choose a service provider, from several companies with different area coverage, service standards etc. I then had to choose from the many call tariffs available, most of which were not quite up to what I needed, so then a choice from the "bolt-on" extras packages had to be made. Finally I chose my accessories, a hands free kit for the car, a protective case and insurances etc. All I wanted was a phone to make phone calls with! It is the same whether you want a coffee, a tube of toothpaste, a computer, a kitchen or just about anything. The bewildering array of choices can end in brain freeze and the inability to make a selection. A problem exaggerated by manufacturers who in order to increase choice, often offer the same product side-by-side, but with minor variations and cosmetic differences. This of course makes it difficult to differentiate between products or services based on merit, as often there is no difference other than price and packaging. With so many choices, when does choice become too much choice? With so many options confronting us about every decision, research suggests there is a greater possibility that we will regret the decision we end up making. The vast amount of choice raises our expectation and creates the anticipation of perfection. Regret after making what is perceived as the wrong decision leads to self-blame, depression and in extreme cases has resulted in suicide. Realising the down side of choice is important and to accept that there is usually not a best choice over others, rather a good choice is one that works for you. Some choice is good, but more choices do not necessarily make things better. At Mouse2House we endeavour to offer a good choice of products rather than stock everything available, weeding out pointless variations and items not good for their intended purpose or of good value. Our aim is to make it easier for our customers to select a product, spending less time choosing and more time enjoying it.