New York, Nov 25 (IANS): Do you always rush for a good deal and take pride in the possessions that you buy at a great discount even if you can afford the full price of the product? Welcome to the club of sport shoppers!

For some, shopping is a pursuit akin to an athletic competition, according to a new study by San Francisco State University researchers.

"This is somebody who takes great pride in their ability to get the thing they want at a discount," said study lead author Kathleen O'Donnell.

"It is not about spending the least, it is about saving the most," O'Donnell explained.

The researchers defined a sport shopper as someone who often can afford the items she buys at full price, but who bargain hunts for the thrill of it. She is competitive and enjoys outsmarting the retail system. 

Also, like athletes recounting their achievements, the sport shopper can remember with great specificity the stories behind the bargain items in her closet, sometimes including the date of purchase, the price at which she bought the item and the price at which it would ordinarily retail.

Another similarity the researchers noticed between sport shoppers and athletes is the strategy behind each shopping endeavour. 

While a runner might train for a race, building up to the race's distance and mapping the route, a sport shopper will get to know the layout of a department store, observe merchandising patterns and plan a shopping trip based on how much time she has before going shopping.

The sport shopper is different from the bargain shopper in that the bargain shopper hunts for deals out of necessity, while the sport shopper does it for the "rush" of finding a good deal.

The study was published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.