Compulsive Shopping Scale (Valence,D'Astous & Fortier)

Compulsive Buying Scale © Valence. D’Astous & Fortier (Valence et al,1988)

Please express the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Please place an X on the line that best indicates how you feel about each statement.

                                                                                                              

                                                        Strongly      Somewhat      Neither agree    Somewhat   Strongly
                                                           agree            agree            nor disagree     disagree       disagree

 

When I have money, I cannot help
but spend part or all of it.                                 _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I am often impulsive in my
 buying behavior.                                             _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

For me, shopping is a way of facing the
stress of my daily life and relaxing.                   _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I sometimes feel that something inside
pushed me to go shopping.                             _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

There are times when I have a
strong urge to buy.                                          _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

At times, I have felt somewhat guilty
after buying a product, because it
seemed unreasonable.                                     _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

There are some things I buy that I do not
show to anybody for fear of being perceived
as irrational in my buying behavior.                   _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I often have an unexplainable urge, a
sudden and spontaneous desire, to go and
buy something.                                                _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

As soon as I enter a shopping center or mall,
I have an irresistible urge to go into a shop
and buy something.                                         _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I am one of those people who often
respond to direct mail offers.                           _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I have often bought a product that
I did not need, while knowing that I have
very little money left.                                        _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I am a spendthrift.                                            _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

I have sometimes thought “If I had to do it
over again, I would…” and felt sorry for
something I have done or said.                         _____            _____            _____            _____            _____

 

 

Calculating your score:

• Each X that you placed corresponds to a number: 5 for “strongly agree”, 4 for “somewhat agree”, 3 for “neither agree nor disagree”, 2 for “somewhat disagree, and 1 for “strongly disagree. 

• Add together the 13 numbers for your Xs to get your total scale score. 

• Compulsive buyers tend to score 42.2 or higher.